A photo taken after the Israeli strike in Jbaa, on Dec. 4, 2025. (Credit: Reuters)
SOUTH LEBANON — About an hour before a Cabinet meeting opened Thursday at the presidential palace in Baabda, the Israeli army issued an evacuation order and then launched a series of strikes on several villages in southern Lebanon, both north and south of the Litani River, in violation of the cease-fire agreement signed with Hezbollah last year, but in line with the parallel "letter of understanding" with the U.S. which allows Israel to act as it sees fit.
The targeted localities were Jbaa, in Nabatieh district, Mahrouna and Majbel, both in Sour district, and Braasheet in Bint Jbeil district.
These bombardments came as the government was set to be briefed by the Lebanese Army on progress made in its work to disarm Hezbollah south of the Litani and deploy in the party's stead.
The previous month, during a similar Cabinet meeting, the Israeli army struck weapons depots and infrastructures described as "terrorist" in Taybeh, Tayr Debba, Aita al-Jabal, Zawtar al-Sharkieh, and Kfar Dounin, after issuing orders to evacuate to the residents — the first such orders since September — giving the impression these bombardments are a direct message to the government and its troops to speed up its disarmament of Hezbollah.
Around 2 p.m., residents of Jbaa and Mahrouna were told to evacuate before strikes targeting Hezbollah "military infrastructure." The Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, shared maps identifying the targeted buildings and asked civilians to keep at least 300 meters away from the sites. The strikes targeted a building in Jbaa, a village north of the Litani, and the outskirts of Mahrouna.
Minutes later, the Israeli army issued a second evacuation order, this time to residents of Majdel and Braasheet, located south of the Litani. In Majdel, two missiles fired from a fighter jet destroyed a three-story building, with the first missile initially failing to detonate. The Israeli air force then bombed Braasheet.
The Israeli army announced in a statement that it had "struck several weapons depots belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon" after carrying out strikes on all four villages.
"Prior to the strike, measures were taken to limit damage to civilians, including advance warnings, the use of precision munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence," the Israeli army said, in an attempt to justify post-truce bombardment.
"The presence of these weapons depots constitutes a violation of the agreements between Israel and Lebanon," the statement continued, in reference to Hezbollah's agreement that it would disarm south of the Litani. However, the Lebanese Army has nearly completed the total dismantling of Hezbollah's military infrastructure in this area.
On Thursday, al-Modon released exclusive images showing the Lebanese Army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon transporting Hezbollah rockets. It is the first time such operations have been made public.
The Lebanese Army also requested that Israel file its complaints or suspicions through the cease-fire monitoring committee so that UNIFIL can investigate possible weapons depots and the army can dismantle them without the need for bombardment.
"The Israeli army will continue its operations to eliminate any threat to the State of Israel," the Israeli army stated.
Israel resuming war not considered
A Jbaa resident living near a building marked by Israel for attack shared a recording of a suspicious call received after orders to evacuate were published. A choppy voice can be heard speaking in Arabic, and the resident responds that the targeted building is "a clinic that helps the poor," not a terrorist infrastructure. "You are the terrorists and the murderers," he tells the stranger on the phone.
Later in the day, an Israeli army drone dropped a sound bomb near fishermen on Naqoura beach. Another Israeli drone dropped a sound bomb in Odaisseh, in Marjayoun district, while the municipality president was present with a Lebanese Army unit for the installation of a solar energy system to power the village’s water source.
On Wednesday, the cease-fire monitoring committee met for the first time with civilian — instead of exclusively military — representatives, marking the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in more than 40 years. The next meeting will take place on Dec. 19, President Joseph Aoun announced on Thursday.
Despite these tensions and increasingly aggressive rhetoric from Israel, the U.S. administration believes, according to Axios, that "a resumption of war by Israel is not expected in the coming weeks."
The assassination on Nov. 23 of top military commander in Hezbollah, Haytham Ali Tabataba'i, in Beirut’s southern suburb reportedly gave Israel "greater political leeway" and "delayed any potential major operation in Lebanese territory."
