At least one person has been killed as Israeli air strikes continued to pound southern Lebanon on Friday, in what Lebanese officials describe as a violation of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement.
Footage circulating on social media — and verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking unit — shows massive plumes of smoke rising from a hilltop targeted by Israeli warplanes, with the roar of jets echoing overhead.
Lebanon’s President, Joseph Aoun, strongly condemned the attacks, accusing Israel of “persistently breaching” the ceasefire deal that was negotiated with US mediation.
“This continued aggression not only violates international agreements but also risks dragging the region into a wider conflict,” President Aoun said in a statement released by the presidential office.
According to the terms of the ceasefire, southern Lebanon is to remain free of all non-state arms and fighters, Israeli troops are to fully withdraw from Lebanese territory, and all cross-border fire is to cease.
However, Lebanese military sources report that Israeli forces remain entrenched in at least five positions inside Lebanese territory. Israel’s military claims its ongoing operations are targeting Hezbollah members or affiliates accused of planning or executing cross-border attacks.
Tensions remain high along the Lebanese-Israeli border, raising fears of a renewed escalation.
