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A FRESH surge of Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Wednesday targeted what Israel described as Hezbollah infrastructure, including weapons storage sites, following a drone strike that killed one person and wounded 11 others, among them students on a passing bus.
AP cited on Thursday that the attacks come amid heightened regional tensions, just a day after an Israeli airstrike in the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon killed 13 people, marking the deadliest Israeli strike in Lebanon since last year’s ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war.
Israeli officials asserted that Hezbollah was attempting to rebuild its military presence in southern Lebanon, though no independent evidence was provided.
The military warned civilians to move away from targeted villages, including Shehour and Deir Kifa, asserting that the weapons facilities were embedded among civilian areas.
“Israel’s military said Hezbollah was working to reestablish itself and rebuild its capacity in southern Lebanon,” the statement read, adding that the strikes sought to neutralise violations of previous agreements under which Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon last year and Lebanon pledged to curb Hezbollah activity.
Earlier, an Israeli airstrike on a car in the southern Lebanese village of Tiri killed one person and injured 11 others.
State media reported that a school bus passing nearby was caught in the blast. Israel later stated that a Hezbollah operative had been killed in the drone strike.
In Ein el-Hilweh, paramedics combed through debris-strewn streets littered with burned vehicles and shattered glass.
Israeli authorities said the strike targeted a Hamas training compound allegedly preparing attacks against Israel, a claim denied by Hamas, which described the site as a sports playground.
Meanwhile, Gaza witnessed one of its deadliest days since the October 10 ceasefire, with at least 25 Palestinians killed and 77 injured in Israeli airstrikes following reports of fire on Israeli troops in southern Gaza.
Health officials reported fatalities from Gaza City, Khan Younis, and the Muwasi displacement camp, with hospital staff noting that victims came from both sides of the ceasefire’s “yellow line” dividing the enclave.
The Israeli military confirmed no casualties among its forces. Hamas condemned the strikes as a “shocking massacre” while denying that its operatives had fired on Israeli troops.
Since the October 10 truce, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports more than 300 deaths from continuing strikes, despite a reduction in frequency.
The fatalities add to the over 69,000 Palestinians killed since Israel’s broad military campaign began more than two years ago in response to the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas militants.
Adding to regional tensions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited a demilitarized buffer zone in Syrian territory seized by Israel last year, declaring, “We attach immense importance to our defensive and offensive capability here.
This is a mission that can develop at any moment.” The visit drew condemnation from Syria, which labelled it “a grave violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” reflecting the fragile dynamics across the Levant and intensifying scrutiny of Israeli military operations in Lebanon, Gaza, and southern Syria. - November 20, 2025