Israeli drone attacks and airspace violations intensified across Lebanon on Sunday night, amid growing fears of a wider regional conflict that would draw in Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah following joint US-Israeli military action against Iran.
According to the French language daily L’Orient-Le Jour, an Israeli drone strike targeted the outskirts of Aadaissah, a border village in the Marjeyoun district of south Lebanon, at around 23:30 local time (21:30 GMT).
A second drone attack targeted a van carrying scrap metal in Kfar Kila, also in the south, with two bombs dropped. No injuries were reported.
Elsewhere in the south, an explosion was heard after Israeli forces intercepted an Iranian missile in Lebanese airspace. Debris from the missile reportedly fell on the outskirts of Kherbet Selm, in the Bint Jbeil district.
The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) also reported extensive Israeli drone activity at low altitude over Beirut and its southern suburbs, as well as over multiple towns in the Nabatieh governorate, including Arabsalim, Sajjid, Loueizeh, and Houmine Fawqa. Fighter jets were seen flying over the Zahrani area at low altitudes.
Earlier in the day, Israeli forces blew up a house near the eastern edge of the town of Aitaroun, close to an Israeli military position on Mount al-Bat.
Israeli warplanes also struck a broadcast transmission site belonging to Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV in the Niha hills, in the southern district of Jezzine. The channel has not commented on the incident.
Reports from Sunday confirmed that the strike on the Niha area, which overlooks the West Bekaa Valley and Iqlim al-Tuffah, completely destroyed the building used by Al-Manar.
According to Al-Jadeed TV, the site was also used by several other TV stations and mobile network operators as a transmission and coverage hub. All towers, equipment, and broadcasting infrastructure were reportedly wiped out. NNA noted that Israeli reconnaissance craft had been circling over the same area overnight into 23 June.
The strike followed another Israeli attack on 21 June in the southern coastal region of Naqoura, where Israel claimed to have targeted a building reportedly used by Hezbollah's elite Radwan Forces, according to Israeli outlet Ynet.
Despite speculation that Hezbollah could carry out operations against Israel following the US strikes on Iran, the group has publicly stated it would not immediately enter the conflict.
A Hezbollah spokesperson told Newsweek on Sunday that Iran is “a strong country capable of defending itself” against US and Israeli attacks, adding that the group remains committed to the ceasefire agreement that came into effect on 27 November 2024, despite the recent spike in Israeli military activity.
According to Lebanese media, Israel has violated the truce over 3,000 times since then, resulting in at least 217 deaths and more than 500 injuries.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began on 8 October 2023, after the group fired rockets into northern Israel, saying this was to support Palestinians amid the Gaza War. Israel dramatically escalated the conflict into a full-scale war by 23 September 2024.
More than 4,000 people have been killed and nearly 17,000 wounded in Lebanon as a result
On Sunday, the US State Department issued a new evacuation order for non-essential staff and family members of American government employees in Lebanon.
A notice circulated by the US Embassy in Beirut cited "the volatile and unpredictable security situation" in the region.
It came just days after US President Donald Trump announced that the United States had "obliterated" Iran’s most sensitive nuclear sites, joining Israel's military offensive on Iran.