Published On 4/26/2026
Israeli warplanes launched a series of raids on areas in southern Lebanon on Saturday night, after instructions from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the army to attack “Hezbollah targets” forcefully.
Netanyahu’s office announced that the Prime Minister gave orders to launch strong attacks on party sites in southern Lebanon, as part of what he said was a response to recent developments on the ground.
At the same time, the Lebanese National News Agency reported that the raids targeted the towns of Hadada, Zibqin, Khirbet Selm, and Al-Sultaniyeh, in addition to other areas in the south.
For its part, the Israeli army claimed in a statement that it was attacking buildings of military use by Hezbollah, stressing that it would continue to work against what it described as threats, in accordance with the directives of the Israeli political level.
These raids come hours after 6 people were killed as a result of Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, which also reported that there were dead and wounded in raids that targeted a truck and a motorcycle in the town of Yammar al-Shaqif, Nabatieh district, and the town of Safad al-Batikh, Bint Jbeil district.
This brings the number of deaths in Israeli raids on various areas of southern Lebanon since Friday to 12 people.
The Israeli army also said at the time that it targeted 3 Hezbollah members who were riding in a vehicle loaded with combat equipment, in addition to another member who was riding a motorcycle in southern Lebanon, according to its claim.
The Israeli army also announced the interception of a suspicious air target launched from the direction of Lebanon, considering this a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
The National News Agency also reported artillery shelling on border areas, including the town of Khiam, which has been witnessing systematic bombing operations carried out by Israeli forces for days, amid rising columns of smoke following the bombing of homes and residential squares.
Today, Agence France-Presse reported monitoring an exodus from the southern suburbs of Beirut following Netanyahu’s announcement of the escalation.
On the other hand, Hezbollah announced the implementation of operations against Israeli forces deployed in southern Lebanon, including targeting military vehicles and launching drones and missiles towards northern Israel, confirming direct casualties in a number of these attacks.
This comes despite US President Donald Trump announcing on Thursday a 3-week extension of the ceasefire that began on April 17, following a new round of talks in the White House between the ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel.
Despite the truce taking effect, Israel continues to carry out air and artillery strikes in southern Lebanon, as it announced the establishment of what it calls the Yellow Line and prevented residents from returning to dozens of villages located within it.
Politically, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun affirmed his country’s refusal to be a negotiating card in regional conflicts, stressing that Lebanon is negotiating in its name in defense of its interests. In contrast, the head of the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc, Muhammad Raad, called on the Lebanese authority to withdraw from what were called direct negotiations.
