Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has condemned Israel's latest air strikes on Lebanon, saying their timing appears aimed at undermining efforts to contain escalation, as a key ceasefire monitoring committee prepares to meet.
Aoun on Tuesday denounced Israeli attacks on several towns in the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, extending as far as the coastal city of Sidon, where a three-storey building was levelled.
He said the strikes had come on the eve of a scheduled meeting of the mechanism committee tasked with halting hostilities and discussing practical steps to restore security and stability on the Lebanon-Israel border.
That process, Aoun said, was meant to include Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, the release of Lebanese detainees held in Israel, and the continued deployment of the Lebanese army in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
Despite Lebanon's cooperation at multiple levels, Aoun said the timing of the attacks "raises many questions" and was intended to "thwart all efforts being made locally, regionally and internationally to stop the ongoing Israeli escalation".
Lebanese army implemented southern deployment plan 'with precision'
Aoun said the Lebanese government had taken concrete steps to extend state authority south of the Litani River, a key requirement of the ceasefire framework, stressing that the plan had been implemented by the Lebanese army "with professionalism, commitment and precision".
He renewed his call on the international community to intervene decisively to curb Israeli attacks and to enable the mechanism committee to carry out its mandate with international backing.
The Israeli strikes were carried out late on Monday and into the early hours of Tuesday. Israel said it had targeted what it alleged, without providing any evidence, was military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah and Hamas in several areas of Lebanon.
The Israeli army said it had struck "terrorist targets" linked to the two groups, including weapon storage sites and military structures, some of them underground.
Israeli officials have repeatedly alleged that Hezbollah was rearming and rebuilding its military capabilities despite the ceasefire. The Lebanese army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have repeatedly refuted these allegations, stating there was no evidence of Hezbollah activity south of the Litani River.
Lebanese media reported on Monday that Israeli warplanes had struck buildings in the towns of Anan and Manara in eastern Lebanon, as well as a house in the southern town of Kfarhatta and an empty building in Ain al-Tineh in the western Bekaa. Additional air strikes were carried out overnight between Sarafand and Zahrani in southern Lebanon.
Some of the attacks followed Israeli evacuation warnings, while others, including strikes carried out overnight, came without prior notice.
The escalation comes despite a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah that came into force in late November 2024, following more than a year of cross-border hostilities.
Since then, Israel has continued to carry out frequent strikes in Lebanon, typically alleging it was targeting Hezbollah sites or members.
According to UNIFIL, Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement more than 10,000 times, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries, including attacks targeting the UN peacekeepers.
The UN force has repeatedly warned that continued violations would risk triggering wider escalation.
Israel began attacking Lebanon in October 2023, before expanding its campaign into a full-scale war in September 2024. The conflict killed more than 4,000 people and wounded around 17,000 others, according to Lebanese authorities.
Israeli forces continue to occupy five strategic hilltops seized during the war, in addition to Lebanese territory held since previous conflicts.
The latest strikes also come ahead of a Lebanese cabinet session scheduled for Thursday, where ministers are expected to review the fourth and final report on the first phase of a plan to restrict weapons south of the Litani River.
The disarmament process has been pursued under heavy US pressure, amid repeated Israeli warnings of further military action if it deems Lebanese measures insufficient.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Sunday that the disarmament efforts were "far from sufficient". Lebanese officials, however, say Israel’s continued attacks undermine the very mechanisms meant to prevent renewed conflict.
Aoun said Israel's attacks amounted to a deliberate attempt to derail political and security efforts, despite Lebanon's adherence to its commitments and Israel's continued violations of the agreement.