A car in flames on the highway between Saida and Sour, in southern Lebanon, on Nov. 10, 2025. (Credit: Muntasser Abdallah)
BEIRUT — An Israeli drone strike targeted a car Monday morning traveling on the road connecting the main cities of southern Lebanon, Saida and Sour, killing the driver, prior to a series of Israeli strikes across mountainous areas in the Jezzine district and the Bekaa Valley.
The initial attack, carried out with three missiles, took place in Baissariyeh (Saida district), north of the Litani River. The vehicle caught fire immediately after the strike, killing the victim, identified as Samir Ali Faqih, head of the "Servants of Imam Hussein" association.
An AFP journalist saw a charred car on the road between Saida, the main city in southern Lebanon, and Sour, further south. Rescue workers were gathering human remains amid a massive traffic jam on this busy road. Hezbollah announced that Samir Ali Faqih was one of its fighters and that he would be buried in Srifa, his hometown in southern Lebanon, at 3:30 p.m.
In a statement, the Israeli army said it had "eliminated" a man who was "smuggling weapons" on behalf of Hezbollah through different regions of Lebanon.
Shortly afterward, the Israeli army struck the heights of Rihane and Mahmoudieh in the Jezzine district, north of the Litani River, a regular target of Israeli air raids. A second wave of strikes hit the heights of Rihane and Jarmak, as well as the outskirts of Aishieh, also in the Jezzine district.
In less than 30 minutes, about 15 strikes using 25 missiles struck hills and valleys in southern Jezzine regions, between Marjayoun and Nabatieh districts. The strikes coincided with students leaving their schools and universities, and the detonations were heard in several nearby localities.
In Kfar Roummane in Nabatieh district, a resident said her house shook during the strikes. "The doors were shaking, the smoke was covering the hills. I saw the planes flying over the area. The scene was unfolding before our eyes, and we were very afraid the missiles would hit us," she said. Israeli jets also struck the Qatrani heights in the Jezzine district.
In the Bekaa, several Israeli strikes targeted Shaara in the Anti-Lebanon mountains along the Syrian border, as well as the Hermel area. A strike in Hermel hit a road leading to a school but caused no casualties, according to local correspondent Sarah Abdallah.
'Fifteen Hezbollah members' since the beginning of November
The Israeli army said on Monday it had killed 15 Hezbollah members since the beginning of November, accusing the group of attempting to rearm nearly a year after their last war.
Commenting on Monday's attacks, the Israeli army said it had targeted Hezbollah "infrastructure" in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, including a rocket launch site and stockpiles of "strategic" weapons.
In a post on X accompanied by a video of the strikes, the army said the bombings were carried out "with the support of military intelligence." It claimed the southern site had been used to launch rockets and had hosted recent Hezbollah activity, and that weapons intended for use against Israel were destroyed. The army added that strikes in the Bekaa hit sites used for the production and storage of strategic weapons.
Shortly after, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would enforce the cease-fires in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip with an "iron fist," vowing to "harm anyone who seeks to harm us."
"We are determined to implement the existing ceasefire agreements with an iron fist against those who seek to destroy us, and you can see what is happening every day in Lebanon," Netanyahu told MPs in a speech.
Earlier Israeli attacks
During the night, the Israeli army also blew up two buildings in the eastern part of Houla, a border village in the Marjayoun district, according to our correspondent in the region. The two explosions were heard throughout the Marjayoun area and in several villages of Nabatieh as well.
On Monday, residents also reported the presence of unexploded Israeli explosives trapped under the rubble of houses destroyed in a strike the previous day on Houla.
Later that day, explosions were heard near Ansar (Nabatieh) after ammunition dating back to the war exploded, triggered by a fire in the area. Local authorities called on residents to avoid the road connecting Ansar to Zrarieh, where flames continued to spread as Civil Defense teams attempted to bring them under control.
In Beirut, an Israeli drone was also heard flying over the capital and its suburbs intensely and at low altitude.
Today's attacks come as Israel killed five people in strikes over the weekend and as its strikes across southern Lebanon have intensified in recent weeks, despite the cease-fire deal signed in November 2024. Since then, Israeli attacks have killed more than 330 people, according to L'Orient Today's count. The Israeli army accuses Hezbollah of trying to rearm and seeks to pressure Lebanese authorities to speed up disarmament and start negotiations with Tel Aviv.
