TEHRAN – Israel continues to violate the ceasefire it agreed with Lebanon’s Hezbollah in November 2024, launching new air strikes that have killed more than a dozen civilians.
An Israeli attack on the Bint Jubeir area in southern Lebanon on Wednesday left one person dead and several others injured, underscoring Tel Aviv’s disregard for Lebanese sovereignty and international mediation.
The attack came just a day after Israel’s devastating airstrike on the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in the southern port city of Sidon, killing 13 people and wounding several others. The attack involved a car in the parking lot of a mosque in the camp, and an ambulance took the victim to a nearby hospital.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry warned that the death toll was still rising, making it one of the deadliest incidents since the ceasefire was brokered.
Israel claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack, saying Israeli forces targeted Hamas operatives suspected of using the compound in Lebanon. The Israeli military vowed to “continue to act forcefully against Hamas’ attempts to gain a foothold in Lebanon.” However, Hamas flatly rejected the accusations, calling them “fabricated” and stressing that it does not operate training facilities in refugee camps in Lebanon. In a statement, Hamas condemned the shelling as a “barbaric invasion of the innocent Palestinian people and Lebanese sovereignty.”
The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that Israeli military operations in Lebanon have killed more than 270 people and injured around 850 since the ceasefire. The wide-ranging conflict between Israel and Lebanon began on October 8, 2023, the day after Israel launched its war on Gaza. More than 4,000 people, including civilians, were killed in Lebanon before it escalated into full-scale war in September 2024 and a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was reached in late November last year.
Hezbollah denounced the airstrike as proof that Israel cannot be trusted to abide by the agreement, arguing that its resistance is essential to safeguard Lebanon’s sovereignty and protect Palestinian refugees who remain vulnerable to shelling. For many Lebanese, Hezbollah’s role resonates as the only reliable deterrent against further violations.
Hezbollah’s resistance is more important than ever as Lebanon faces the dual challenge of post-war reconstruction while defending itself from continued attacks. Israel’s continued attacks demonstrate that peace cannot be achieved through broken promises or unilateral force, but only through genuine respect for the agreement and recognition of Lebanon’s right to protect its people.