Israel carries out airstrikes on eastern Lebanon amid tensions

BEIRUT

The Israeli military conducted airstrikes in eastern Lebanon late Sunday.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) highlighted that Israeli forces continued to violate a cease-fire agreement that went into effect on Nov. 27 last year.

Reports indicated that Israeli warplanes bombed areas near the town of Jinta, east of Baalbek.

In a statement, the Israeli military confirmed that based on intelligence information, it targeted several Hezbollah positions in Lebanon with airstrikes.

It said the Israeli military had informed the cease-fire monitoring mechanism that these targets posed a threat to Israel's home front and military, but no action had been taken in response.

The airstrikes, according to the Israeli statement, were specifically aimed at Hezbollah's smuggling routes used for transporting weapons along the Lebanon-Syria border.

Article two of the cease-fire agreement states that the Lebanese government will prevent Hezbollah or any other armed groups in Lebanon from launching operations against Israel and Israel will not carry out any military attacks by land, sea or air on civilian, military or state targets in Lebanon.

Under the agreement, the Lebanese army is expected to gradually deploy to areas in southern Lebanon currently occupied by Israeli forces within 60 days.