IDF Conducts Multiple Airstrikes Across Southern Lebanon Amid Rising Tensions

Lebanese media reported overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out a series of airstrikes targeting several locations in southern Lebanon, including the areas of Al-Dibsha near Nabatieh, the village of Al-Qantara, and the outskirts of Sarbine. The Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar added that additional strikes targeted the village of Roman and that explosions were heard near Al-Hiyam. Israeli fighter jets reportedly flew at low altitude over southern Lebanon during the attacks.

Shortly before these strikes, the municipality of Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel warned residents of expected further military activity by the IDF in the area, which could result in audible explosions. The municipality described the operations as "initiated by our forces" and noted no special instructions for residents at that time, promising updates if the situation changed.

These nighttime strikes follow ongoing IDF military operations throughout the day in the region and come amid heightened tensions in southern Lebanon, particularly around the strategic Ali Taher ridge, a key Hezbollah stronghold. The IDF maintains operational control over large parts of the area and access routes to Hezbollah's fortified underground complex, believed to house dozens of Hezbollah members and Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers. Israel has so far refrained from a decisive assault on this complex due to concerns over provoking an Iranian response and escalating conflict.

The escalation intensified mid-month after Hezbollah launched an explosive drone attack on an IDF force in southern Lebanon, injuring one officer and two soldiers seriously. In retaliation, the IDF targeted multiple Hezbollah positions in Nabatieh and Ansar, killing Ali Samir Al-Hajj Hassan, a battalion commander in the Radwan Force, and a senior commander in Hezbollah's "Badr" unit involved in drone attacks. Lebanese authorities reported nine fatalities in strikes around Ali Taher ridge, Ansar, and Upper Nabatieh during that weekend.

The IDF stated these strikes were responses to Hezbollah's violations of the ceasefire. Israeli operations have continued since, with Hezbollah reportedly attempting to support its fighters in the ridge complex, including via drones. The IDF recently disclosed that it identified thousands of Hezbollah infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon, including command centers, observation posts, launchers, underground facilities, and weapons caches.