BEIRUT/ISTANBUL

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday denounced Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon as “full-fledged crime.”

Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes in several southern towns after issuing evacuation orders, despite a ceasefire agreement in place since November 2023.

In a presidency statement, Aoun described Israel’s escalating violations of the ceasefire as a “heinous political crime.”

“What Israel committed today in southern Lebanon constitutes a full-fledged crime under international humanitarian law, which criminalizes the targeting, terrorizing, and forced displacement of civilians,” Aoun said.

“It also represents a heinous political crime. Every time Lebanon expresses openness to peaceful negotiations to resolve outstanding issues with Israel, the latter intensifies its aggression against Lebanese sovereignty, flaunts its disregard for UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and continues violating its obligations.

“Nearly a year has passed since the ceasefire took effect, and during that period Israel has spared no effort in showing its rejection of any negotiated settlement between the two countries,” Aoun said.

The Lebanese army also condemned the Israeli attacks as “a continuation of the enemy’s destructive approach aimed at undermining Lebanon’s stability, expanding devastation in the south, and prolonging the war to maintain the threat against the Lebanese people.”

“These assaults also hinder the full deployment of the Lebanese army in implementation of the cessation of hostilities agreement between Lebanon and Israel,” it said.

It reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to “close coordination with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL),” emphasizing that “the partnership between both sides remains at a high level of trust and cooperation.”

The Israeli airstrikes came after the US Treasury imposed sanctions on individuals accused of facilitating the transfer of tens of millions of dollars from Iran to Hezbollah.

Tensions have been mounting in southern Lebanon for weeks, with the Israeli army intensifying near-daily air raids inside Lebanese territory despite the ceasefire, under the pretext of targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure.

Israeli Channel 12 reported on Thursday that Tel Aviv is preparing for another possible round of fighting with Hezbollah.

The Israeli army has killed more than 4,000 people and injured nearly 17,000 in its attacks on Lebanon, which began in October 2023 and turned into a full-scale offensive in September 2024.