ANKARA

Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced Friday that a series of Israeli airstrikes, carried out Thursday evening, led to the deaths of four people.

Israeli warplanes launched a series of heavy airstrikes Thursday evening on southern and eastern Lebanon hitting towns and mountainous areas in the Beqaa Valley and southern districts in a major escalation, the Lebanese state news agency NNA reported.

Israel launched military operations in Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, which escalated into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and injuring around 17,000.

A ceasefire was reached in November, but Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target activities of the Lebanese Hezbollah group.

Under the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply. Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.