New Israeli strikes in Jezzine, Hezbollah denounces pressure

As part of the ongoing Israeli escalation in Lebanon in recent days, Israeli fighter jets bombed the Mahmudieh area on Monday afternoon, on the outskirts of the villages of Aishieh and Jarmak in the Jezzine district, southern Lebanon.

Images obtained by our correspondent in the region show that at least two sites were hit on the targeted hills, which were bombed twice within a few minutes.

Israeli drones later flew over the struck sites, and fires broke out in the area. No information has yet been released regarding possible casualties.

These latest Israeli raids, which targeted an area north of the Litani River, were claimed soon after by the Israeli army.

Through its Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee, the army said it had targeted "Hezbollah infrastructures in the Nabatieh region," accusing the group of "rebuilding its infrastructures" across Lebanon in violation of the cease-fire, without specifying the exact nature of these installations.

These new strikes also come a day after the Israeli army announced the launch of large-scale military exercises along the border with Lebanon, in the Galilee region, scheduled to last until Thursday and covering the entire Lebanese border.

According to the spokesperson, the drills extend "inside villages, in the coastal area, and on the home front."

'Enemy wants to impose political negotiations': Fadlallah

At the same time, Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah spoke in southern Lebanon on the sidelines of two memorial ceremonies for fighters of the group.

The Bint Jbeil lawmaker described the increased Israeli military pressure as an attempt "to achieve the goals the enemy was unable to realize during 60 days of war," referring to over two months of open war between the group and Israel in the fall of 2024.

According to him, these objectives include "the expulsion of residents from the South, the occupation of the area south of the Litani, and the forced displacement of border villages."

"The enemy is sending signals through various channels that it wants talks and a political agreement with Lebanon," Fadlallah added, referring to remarks made last week by President Joseph Aoun, who stated, "Negotiations with Israel are necessary in the process of resolving the crisis" in the region.

"The enemy continues its violations of the cease-fire agreement, which the Resistance has respected out of a sense of responsibility after the state asserted it would take on that task. Today, Israel seeks to destabilize the South, sow anxiety and prevent a return to normal life in the villages, with the aim of pressuring the Lebanese state to accept political negotiations," he said from the mausoleum in Deir Qanoun al-Naher (Sour district) of the party's former secretary general, Hashem Safieddine, who was killed in an Israeli raid on Beirut's southern suburbs on Oct. 4, 2024.

Additionally, low-flying Israeli drone activity was reported throughout the day over Beirut's southern suburbs, as well as in the localities of Aramoun and Khalde (Aley district), on the outskirts of the capital.