Border on edge: Israeli strikes in South Lebanon raise escalation fears

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Israeli airstrikes on South Lebanon on Sunday pushed the border region into a new phase of escalation, raising fears of a wider confrontation.

The heavy bombardment sent shockwaves across northern Israeli towns along the frontier, prompting heightened alert levels and leaving residents on edge. The Israeli army claimed Hezbollah continues to expand its military and rocket capabilities in preparation for a potential escalation against Israel.

While Israeli surveillance drones maintained a constant presence in Lebanese skies, the army announced it would press on with operations to prevent Hezbollah from bolstering its arsenal, including what it alleged were underground facilities. 

Military analysts described Sunday’s strikes as preemptive, underscoring Israel’s insistence on maintaining control over five occupied border positions and its reluctance to scale back its campaign.

Instead of reducing hostilities, Israel has sought to intensify its operations, arguing that disarming Hezbollah would be a drawn-out process, one that the group could exploit to strengthen its forces. An Israeli security report described the disarmament of Hezbollah as a highly complex task with slim chances of success, even over the long term.

Despite international condemnations of Israel’s near-daily operations, Israeli officials said the strikes and the looming threat of escalation remain their strongest tools to keep Hezbollah militarily weakened, noting that the group has yet to restore the capabilities it lost in the war fully.