Israeli airstrikes hit southern and western Lebanon ahead of key security talks—the details

Report by Wissam Nasrallah, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

This was the scene in the town of Ghaziyeh, specifically inside its industrial zone, following airstrikes carried out by Israeli fighter jets after midnight between Monday and Tuesday. 

The strikes caused damage estimated at tens of thousands of dollars and left two people wounded.

Ghaziyeh, in the Sidon district, was targeted just hours after Israeli strikes hit the nearby town of Kfar Hatta in the same district. 

The attacks were part of a broader series of strikes that also included the town of Anan in the Jezzine district, as well as the towns of Manara and Ain el-Tineh in the western Bekaa.

All of the strikes were preceded by Israeli warnings issued through maps published by the Israeli army’s spokesperson.

The timing and location of this escalation carry particular significance. In terms of timing, the strikes come on the eve of a meeting of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism which, according to information obtained by LBCI, will include only military representatives from the Lebanese and Israeli sides, at a joint U.S.-Israeli request. 

This marks a shift from previous meetings that also included civilian participants, a development seen as a negative indicator.

The strikes also come two days ahead of a Lebanese Cabinet session expected to discuss moving to the second phase of limiting weapons to the authority of the state, a phase that geographically extends from the Litani River to the Awali River.

The locations targeted by the Israeli strikes are also telling. Ghaziyeh, Kfar Hatta and Anan all fall within the geography of the second phase. Notably, Anan is an entirely Christian town. 

Sources at the presidential palace told LBCI that Lebanon contacted the monitoring mechanism after the Israeli warnings were issued, stressing that the house targeted in Anan contained no military equipment and that its owners were not even in Lebanon. Despite this, Israel insisted on striking the house.

Through these strikes, Tel Aviv appears to be sending several messages: it is monitoring the upcoming meeting before it takes place, testing the Lebanese government ahead of its Cabinet session, and setting parameters in advance of the second phase.