Zürcher Nachrichten - Israel strikes Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

The Israeli military confirmed a new series of strikes had begun after warning civilians to evacuate certain buildings in three Lebanese villages: Taybeh, Tayr Debba and Aita al-Jabal.

An Israeli strike had already killed one person, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The Israeli military said it had targeted a Hezbollah construction team.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire in November last year, under a deal backed by the United States, France and international mediators, but Israeli strikes on Hezbollah have continued as it accuses the group of trying to rebuild its forces.

"We will not allow Hezbollah to rearm themselves, to recover, build back up its strength, to threaten the state of Israel," Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian told reporters, accusing the group of "continuous terrorist activities."

At the same time, Hezbollah lashed out at Lebanon's leadership, rejecting suggestions that it might be time to begin direct political talks with Israel.

A source close to Hezbollah's political leadership told AFP the declaration followed recent US and Egyptian pressure on Lebanon's leaders to open direct negotiations.

Lebanon and Israel are still technically in a state of war, but all the recent armed conflicts with Israel were fought by Hezbollah, not the Lebanese military.

The only diplomatic contact between Israel and Lebanon is through a ceasefire monitoring mechanism, which includes the United States, France and the United Nations.

This body meets regularly at the headquarters of the UN force in southern Lebanon but the Lebanese and Israeli parties do not directly communicate with each other.

- Disarmament drive -

Hezbollah was the only movement in Lebanon that refused to disarm after the 1975-1990 civil war, first claiming it had a duty to liberate territory occupied by Israel, and then to continue defending the country.

In an open letter to the Lebanese people and their leaders, Hezbollah said it rejected "any political negotiations" between Lebanon and Israel and that such talks would "not serve the national interest".

Hezbollah is backed by Iran, which also fought its own war against Israel earlier this year.

"We reaffirm our legitimate right... to defend ourselves against an enemy that imposes war on our country and does not cease its attacks," Hezbollah added.

The group nevertheless said it remained committed to a ceasefire reached with Israel last year, after months of hostilities that escalated into an all-out war.

Israel warned last week it could intensify operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused the group of trying to rearm, after it suffered staggering losses in the last war.

Last week, US envoy Tom Barrack said that dialogue with Israel could be the key to easing tensions.

The Lebanese government is due to meet later Thursday to examine the progress of its efforts to disarm the militant group.

Despite the November 2024 ceasefire agreement, Israel maintains troops in five areas in southern Lebanon and has kept up strikes.

Since the ceasefire, the United States has increased pressure on Lebanese authorities to disarm the group, a move opposed by Hezbollah and its allies.

- 'Hasty decision' -

Israel has stepped up its strikes on Lebanon in recent weeks despite President Joseph Aoun saying he was open to negotiating. A Lebanese official told AFP on Thursday that Israel has not responded "positively nor negatively" to the offer.

The Lebanese government has ordered the army to devise a plan to disarm Hezbollah, but last week Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz accused Aoun of "dragging his feet" after it suffered staggering losses in its last war with Israel.

In September 2024, Israel killed the group's longtime chief, Hassan Nasrallah and over the course of the war took out many other senior leaders.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, the army is tasked with ensuring Hezbollah is disarmed in the south near the Israeli border by the end of the year.

Hezbollah has criticised the government's "hasty decision" to disarm it, claiming that Israel has taken advantage of the push.

T.L.Marti--NZN