A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon watchtower photographed from Israel, on the Lebanese side of the border separating northern Israel from southern Lebanon, Nov. 16, 2025. (Credit: Jalaa Mrey/ AFP)
BEIRUT — Israeli forces continued strikes in southern Lebanon as a state of alert was reported along the northern border over fears of escalation with Hezbollah, while U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration is working on “important files” concerning Lebanon Thursday.
Trump's comment came during the inaugural meeting in Washington of the 'Gaza Board of Peace' Thursday, where he said that regarding Lebanon, his administration is working “on some very important files.”
He also added, “We need to address the Lebanon issue, but it remains relatively limited compared to what has already been accomplished,” as the US and Israel are both pushing for the rapid disarmament of Hezbollah.
Trump further said FIFA will raise $75 million for soccer-related projects in Gaza.
Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Rodolph Haykal on Monday requested a delay of four to eight months to implement the second phase of the disarmament plan during his presentation at the Cabinet meeting in Baabda Presidential Palace.
The second phase of the army’s plan concerns the area between the Litani and Awali rivers, following its implementation south of the Litani.
While Hezbollah has agreed to hand over its weapons in the first zone along the Israeli border, it has refused to do so elsewhere until the end of daily Israeli attacks on Lebanon, its occupation of several positions in the South and the detention of about 20 Lebanese nationals, including nine civilians, in Israeli prisons.
During Haykal's three-day visit to the United States earlier in February, US Senator Lindsey Graham wrote in a post on X that he ended a brief meeting with Haykal after asking him directly whether he considered Hezbollah a terrorist organization. According to Graham, Haykal replied: “No, not in the context of Lebanon.” The firm position drew the ire of many in Washington, but the praise of many back home.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported, citing a source, that there is a “state of alert on the northern border over fears of escalation with Hezbollah,” according to Al Jazeera Thursday.
The Authority also quoted a military source as saying that “the United States will notify Israel in advance if it decides to launch an attack on Iran.”
For its part, the Israeli Maariv newspaper reported, citing a military source, that “the Israeli army possesses plans against Lebanon, including launching a preemptive and powerful attack on Hezbollah.”
Israeli strikes, incursion continue
Israeli strikes and incursion continued in southern Lebanon. The Israeli soldiers blew up a house at dawn in the town of Khiam (Marjayoun), in southern Lebanon, after infiltrating the area, our local correspondent reported.
The explosion occurred in the Wadi al-Asafir area, opposite the town’s slaughterhouse. The incident follows the overnight destruction of another house in Yaroun (Bint Jbeil). The Israeli army did not immediately comment on the incidents.
An Israeli Merkava tank also targeted an uninhabited house in the town of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil) with two shells.
Five artillery shells also targeted Khiam plain (Marjayoun), coinciding with a sweep operation using machine guns launched from the newly established position on the occupied Hammamess hill, our correspondent reported.
Separately, an Israeli drone dropped two stun grenades on Wednesday evening near a house in one of the neighborhoods of Houla (Marjayoun district). The owners of the targeted house were forced to evacuate earlier on Wednesday after it was hit on Tuesday by several projectiles that caused significant damage, our correspondent said.
Israeli warplanes struck the area known as Tebna, on the outskirts of the village of Bissarieh, south of the city of Saida (Saida district), with two missiles overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, our South Lebanon correspondent reported. No damage has been reported so far. Israeli aircraft also carried out intensive overflights of southern Lebanon overnight.
Israeli artillery targeted the outskirts of the town of Yaroun (Bint Jbeil) with several shells. At around 3 a.m., Israeli army soldiers had infiltrated the town of Yaroun and blew up a house, according to our correspondent. Such operations in south Lebanon’s border villages have been recurrent since the cease-fire that came into force in late November 2024.
The Israeli army had also said on Thursday that it carried out overnight strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in “several areas of southern Lebanon,” including “weapons depots, rocket launchers, and military sites,” according to a post on X by the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee.
Reporting contributed by our correspondent in the south, Muntasser Abdallah.
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