No respite for south Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, despite the announcement of a cease-fire

SOUTH LEBANON — The Israeli defense minister said, after the announcement of a cease-fire in Lebanon, that the army would continue to maintain its “freedom of action” in the country, a claim that developments on the ground have so far not contradicted.

Since Thursday morning, strikes have continued across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa, including drone attacks on vehicles that left at least two dead and wounded a family from a Christian village in the so-called “buffer zone” of Jdeidet Marjayoun, according to our correspondents.

A notable development came as the Lebanese Army announced the reopening of the Marjayoun–Debbin–Ibl al-Saqi road axis after removing earth embankments previously installed by the Israeli army on the Debbin road.

The move coincided with an Israeli withdrawal from the area. In a statement, the army said it had removed “earth embankments on the Debbin road, previously installed by the Israeli army, which allowed the reopening of the Marjayoun–Debbin–Ibl al-Saqi axis.”

It added that the operation was carried out in parallel with “the Israeli withdrawal from the Debbin area,” where Lebanese units are conducting a gradual deployment in coordination with the ceasefire monitoring mechanism and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon).

Since 6 a.m., the violence has continued. A man was killed in a drone strike on his van at the Bfarweh junction on the road to Deir Zahrani. Another victim died after a strike on a scooter on the Shehour (Tyre) road. In Jdeidet Marjayoun, a couple, Antoine and Therese Bou Absi, and their daughter Najat were wounded when their car was hit near the Nmeirieh–Nabatieh junction. Another vehicle was targeted in Kfar Roummane in a similar attack pattern.

A drone strike on Qana in the Sour district killed one person identified as Hassan Moustapha Borji. In Abbassieh, also in Sour, an Israeli strike hit the village cemetery, killing three people and wounding one.

Raids on the Bekaa

Airstrikes also hit several areas in southern Lebanon as well as Qlayaa and Sohmor in West Bekaa. In Sohmor, at least seven drone raids were reported, leaving at least one dead and four injured. A demolition was also carried out in Zawtar Sharqieh, a village north of the Litani River outside the “buffer zone.”

These strikes came as Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the army would continue to operate in what he called a “security zone” in southern Lebanon and maintain its “freedom of military action,” including against Beirut if attacks on Israeli territory continue, despite the truce announced in Washington. Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir also said the northern front remains a top priority, stressing the goal of protecting northern residents and increasing pressure on Hezbollah to establish a new security reality.

The Israeli army also warned residents of southern Lebanon not to travel south of the Zahrani River until further notice, saying in a statement that “fighting continues in southern Lebanon” and threatening that anyone heading south would be in danger.

A drone strike also hit the outskirts of Lebbaya in West Bekaa, targeting an area near a telecommunications tower where a mobile operator team was refuelling a generator. Two people were wounded. The municipality urged residents, especially displaced families, not to return due to ongoing attacks.

Overnight, Israeli airstrikes hit southern Lebanon, including two industrial hangars near Saida. One was completely destroyed south of the city; the second, in Arab al-Jabal, was located near a school housing displaced people, leaving four people lightly injured.

The U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) said one of its peacekeepers was killed by artillery shells at a position near Marjayoun, with several others wounded. The victim was a Serbian national, according to the Serbian defense ministry.

Hezbollah operations and Israeli response

Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli soldiers near Yohmor Shaqif, a command centre near Beaufort Castle, and an Israeli military position in Qantara (Marjayoun). Israeli media reported air raid sirens in northern Israel, including Shlomi, though Hezbollah did not claim responsibility for attacks there.

The Israeli army said it activated alerts near the northern border due to a suspected hostile aerial infiltration near Kfar Yuval, adding that the incident ended without casualties.

According to the latest update from the health ministry, Israeli strikes have killed 3,526 people in Lebanon since March 2, and injured 10,733 others. The ministry also reported 129 deaths among health workers and emergency responders, with 163 injured.

Reporting contributed by our regional correspondents, Muntasser Abdallah and Sarah Abdallah.