An Israeli strike on Khirbet Silm (Bint Jbeil) on Saturday killed one person and injured another, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry and the state-run National News Agency (NNA). Israeli army Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a post on X that the attack was on a Hezbollah member "involved in rebuilding Hezbollah infrastructure, and was eliminated.”

The Israeli army “will continue to take action to eliminate threats to the State of Israel and will prevent any attempts by Hezbollah to rebuild or establish a presence,” Adraee said.

According to information from our correspondent, the victim was identified as Ali Hassan Chahla, a native of Markaba.

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The Israeli army conducted at least 15 airstrikes within half an hour in southern Lebanon on Friday at around 10 p.m., reported our regional correspondent. Around 20 to 25 missiles were fired across different districts, he said, adding that to date there have been no reported casualties.

The strikes targeted multiple areas, including between Aita al-Jabal and Kounine in the Bint Jbeil district, between Zebqine (Sour) and Yater (Bint Jbeil), and between Ansar (Nabatieh) and Zrarieh (Saida). The town of Tebna, near Baissarieh in the southern part of the Saida district, was also hit. In the Jezzine district, Israel struck an area near Rihan, as well as Aichieh — the hometown of Army Commander Joseph Aoun — and Sojod. The Israeli army also fired on the outskirts of Aazzeh (Nabatieh).

According to available information, all the strikes targeted uninhabited areas. The Israeli military claimed the raids targeted “military sites belonging to (...) Hezbollah, where weapons and missile launchers were identified.”

"You never get used to it," resident Nadia Bazzi told L’Orient-Le Jour. She had heard the strikes while sipping coffee on her balcony in her home in Bint Jbeil. Although she said she initially "feared another Sept. 23, 2024" — when the Israeli army launched a large-scale offensive in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa, bombing the regions in waves and killing hundreds in a single day — she has resigned herself to a "new normal." And if another escalation were to occur, "it would be unfortunate, but whatever happens, happens," she said.

Hezbollah had also held a funeral for two of its killed members in the town of Arnaoun (Nabatieh), the party said in a statement Saturday morning.

While the Israeli army has carried out near-daily strikes in Lebanon, violating the cease-fire agreement, Friday marks the highest number of strikes in a single day since Nov. 27.

Beirut MP Ibrahim Mneimneh strongly condemned Israel’s ongoing attacks on southern Lebanon since Friday, calling on the government to respond and force Israel to comply with the cease-fire agreement. He said the Israeli strikes “undermine the government and Lebanese Army’s efforts to implement Resolution 1701 and place Lebanon in the face of serious challenges.”

“We call on the government to take immediate action and pressure the monitoring committee to fulfill its role by compelling Israel to meet its obligations under the cease-fire agreement,” Mneimneh said.

For Nicholas Heras, a director at The New Lines Institute — a Washington-based think tank focused on improving U.S. foreign policy — these strikes "show that Israel has zero confidence in the Lebanese state." The Israeli army "is seeking to destroy any remaining Hezbollah military infrastructure south of the Litani River because it does not trust the Lebanese Army to do so."

And what comes next? The researcher believes Hezbollah is not currently in a position to reopen a front with Israel and is "likely waiting for the Israeli army to withdraw from Lebanon."

"Tensions are rising between Iran and Israel over Iran's nuclear program. This tension could lead to Israeli strikes against Iran, which would most likely trigger a broader regional war involving Hezbollah in Lebanon," Heras noted.

A cease-fire agreement went into effect on Nov. 27, 2024, to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah that had been ongoing since Oct. 8, 2023, and had intensified in September. The deal called for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied villages in southern Lebanon to allow the Lebanese army to deploy in areas previously under Hezbollah’s influence. However, even after the transitional period ended on Feb. 18, the Israeli army maintained its presence in five positions it deemed strategic in southern Lebanon and has continued near-daily operations against suspected Hezbollah members.