Israel Says It Hit Hezbollah, Hamas Targets in Lebanon

Israel carried out airstrikes on multiple targets in Lebanon on Jan. 5 that it said were linked to terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas, the Israeli military has said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Jan. 6 that it struck weapons storage facilities and military structures used by Hezbollah in attacks against Israeli troops and territory, as well as sites it said were part of the group’s efforts to rebuild its military capabilities.

The IDF also said it hit Hamas weapons production sites in southern Lebanon that it described as critical to the group’s military buildup and ability to carry out attacks against Israel.

Military activity between Israel and Lebanon has persisted despite a 2024 cease-fire agreement, mediated by the United States and France and intended to halt months of cross-border hostilities.

Israel has continued to hold positions in southern Lebanon and has conducted airstrikes that it says are aimed at preventing Hezbollah from rearming and planning new operations.

The Jan. 5 strikes, according to the IDF, targeted sites that were embedded in civilian areas. The IDF said the terrorist groups used “Lebanese civilians as human shields for terrorist activity,” adding that it took steps before the strikes to reduce harm to civilians, including issuing advance warnings to residents.

The IDF reiterated that it would continue operations it deemed necessary to protect Israel.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strikes, saying they had hit towns in the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, reaching as far north as Sidon.

In a statement issued by the presidency on Jan. 6, Aoun said the strikes raised serious questions, particularly given their timing just ahead of this week’s meeting of the cease-fire monitoring committee.

Cease-Fire Efforts 

The latest strikes come a month after Lebanese, Israeli, and U.S. representatives met on Dec. 3 in the Lebanese southern coastal town of Naqoura.

The meeting was part of the monitoring mechanism established under the 2024 cease-fire accord, which requires Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory and obliges Lebanon’s army to dismantle Hezbollah fortifications along the border.

Following the Naqoura talks, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa praised the parties for opening “a channel of dialogue.”

In a statement on Dec. 3, he said the meeting showed “a sincere willingness to pursue peaceful, responsible solutions grounded in good faith.” Issa reaffirmed that the United States “stood ready to engage” in further efforts to ease the burdens faced by affected populations.

Aoun maintained on Dec. 5 that the Naqoura talks focused on ending Israeli military action in Lebanese territory, adding that their success depended mainly on Israel’s position.

Ahead of this week’s meeting, the U.N. confirmed increased diplomatic engagement. During a daily press briefing on Jan. 5, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric relayed an update from Undersecretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix.

Lacroix is expected to travel on Jan. 6 to Naqoura to meet with United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) leadership and peacekeepers and to visit several positions along the Blue Line, the U.N.-demarcated boundary between Israel and Lebanon.

UNIFIL, the U.N. peacekeeping force deployed in southern Lebanon since 1978, has long worked with the Lebanese army to monitor the border and help enforce Security Council Resolution 1701, which prohibits armed groups from operating near Israel.

On Jan. 7, Lacroix is scheduled to return to Beirut for talks with Lebanese officials, including Aoun, senior ministers, and Lebanese Armed Forces commander General Rodolphe Haykal, to discuss the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.

The latest airstrikes followed an earlier Israeli operation in southern Lebanon. On Jan. 4, the IDF said it killed two Hezbollah fighters in the area of Al-Jumayjimah, describing them as involved in rebuilding the group’s military infrastructure.

“The terrorists took part in attempts to reestablish Hezbollah’s terror infrastructure in the area,” the military said, adding that their actions represented “a blatant violation of the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”