IDF launches strikes targeting Hezbollah for 1st time since Lebanon ceasefire extended

Israeli military issues evacuation orders for 9 villages; 6 said killed in overnight targeting of civil defense center; drone launched at Israel from Lebanon, no injuries

The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday it had launched a wave of airstrikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, the first since a ceasefire was extended by 45 days.

The strikes came after the IDF issued evacuation warnings for nine villages in southern Lebanon.

Residents of Qaaqaaiyet al-Snoubar, Kaouthariyet El Saiyad, Merouaniyeh, Ghassaniyeh, Tefahta, Irzay, Babliyeh, Insar and al-Baisariyah were instructed to evacuate at least a kilometer away.

“In light of the Hezbollah terror organization’s violations of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is forced to act against it with force and does not intend to harm you,” warned army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported strikes on at least five villages in the south, preceded by an exodus of residents toward the southern city of Sidon and the capital Beirut.

Hezbollah and Israel have continued to attack each other since US President Donald Trump first announced a ceasefire on April 16, which has now largely unraveled, though fighting remains at a lower level than before.

Shortly before the ceasefire extension was announced on Friday evening, at least six people were killed, including three paramedics, in a strike on a civil defense center in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese state news agency said, with 22 wounded.

There was no statement on the strike from the IDF.

Additionally, Hezbollah launched at least one drone toward Israel on Saturday. There were no reported injuries or damage in the attack, which triggered sirens in the Meron area.

The United States on Friday announced a 45-day extension of the porous ceasefire, even as the Iran-backed terror group continued to clash with IDF soldiers and launch missiles and drones into Israeli territory.

The announcement came after Israel and Lebanon wrapped up a third round of negotiations in Washington, which was described by State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott as “highly productive,” adding that the truce extension will “enable further progress.”

The US State Department will reconvene the political track of negotiations on June 2 and June 3, Pigott said.

In addition, a security track will be launched at the Pentagon on May 29 with military delegations from both countries.

The Lebanese delegation welcomed the extension of the ceasefire and touted the establishment of separate military and political tracks that will meet separately in the coming weeks at the State Department and Pentagon.

The ceasefire has been in place since April 16, but the US has allowed Israel to continue targeting Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure deemed a threat.

Hezbollah has targeted Israeli forces who have created a deep buffer zone in southern Lebanon, which Jerusalem says is designed to prevent Hezbollah attacks on communities across the border.

However, the ceasefire has largely held in Beirut and other areas further away from the border following US pressure on Israel.

Hezbollah has also continued to fire drones and rockets at northern Israel — the terror group renewed the conflict when it began attacking Israel in March amid the US-Israel war against the Iranian regime.

Lebanon, whose government has committed to disarming Hezbollah, is demanding a halt to Israel’s strikes and full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel, which accuses Beirut of failing to disarm Hezbollah, demands that the terror group give up its weapons. Hezbollah itself has rejected the direct talks and insisted its weapons are not up for discussion.