Israel strikes south Lebanon after warning

JERUSALEM: Israeli raids hit south Lebanon on Thursday (Dec 4), official media said, after Israel's military issued an evacuation warning and said it would strike what it described as Hezbollah military infrastructure.

"Israeli warplanes launched a strike on the town of Mahrouna" while another raid targeted a house in Jbaa, the official National News Agency said, while the Israeli army said it "began conducting strikes on Hezbollah terror targets in southern Lebanon".

The army, in an X post, earlier shared maps identifying buildings in Jbaa and Mahrouna villages, and warned residents that remaining in the area "puts you at risk".

"The (Israeli army) will soon strike military infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organisation across areas in southern Lebanon, in response to Hezbollah's prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the area," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said earlier.

"You are located near buildings used by Hezbollah. For your own safety, you must evacuate them immediately," he said.

The strike comes a day after Israel and Lebanon held their first direct talks in decades, under a year-old ceasefire monitoring mechanism. Morgan Ortagus, the US special envoy for Lebanon, also attended.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office described the atmosphere at the talks as "positive", but also made it clear it was "essential" that Hezbollah disarm regardless of any progress in economic cooperation.

Lebanon and Israel agreed on a ceasefire in November 2024 to end more than a year of fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, which broke out after the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.

But Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite the truce, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure to stop the group from rearming.

Israel has also kept troops in five areas in the south despite the ceasefire's stipulation that it pull out entirely.