Israeli army launches airstrikes on various Lebanese sites

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM - Israel carried out airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday, escalating cross-border tensions after rockets were fired into northern Israel, state-owned National News Agency (NNA) reported.

The strikes hit areas near the villages of Touline, Kfar Melki, Mleeta, and the Wadi al-Hujeir valley, NNA said. A residential building in Touline was destroyed, leaving one dead and three wounded, it added.

Earlier, the Israeli military said it intercepted rockets launched from Lebanon toward the northern Israeli town of Metula. No casualties were reported in Israel, according to the country's emergency services.

Lebanon's army stated that its troops later discovered and dismantled three improvised rocket launchers in the Nabatieh area, north of the Litani River. Military units remained deployed in southern Lebanon to "maintain security and stability," it said.

The exchange occurred amid lingering friction over a US- and French-mediated ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which took effect on Nov 27, 2023, halting over a year of hostilities linked to the Gaza conflict.

The truce stipulated an Israeli withdrawal from disputed Lebanese territory, but Israeli forces continue to occupy five border posts past a Feb. 18 deadline, Lebanese officials say.

In a statement issued after the airstrikes, Israel's military said it struck Hezbollah's infrastructure, alleging the Iran-backed group operates from civilian zones.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed a "robust response" to attacks, with Katz asserting that Lebanon's government bore responsibility for "all aggression originating from its soil."

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) called for restraint, cautioning that further escalation could undermine tenuous diplomatic gains.

Saturday's rocket fire marked the first such incident from Lebanon since early December. Both Israel and Hezbollah have traded blame for repeated breaches of the ceasefire, which remains technically intact but has been strained by sporadic clashes and unresolved border disputes.