In a major escalation, Israel on Saturday struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Israel's strike comes in retaliation to the rockets fired into northern Israel from Lebanon.
According to Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the rockets targeted the Israeli town of Metula. Since December, it is the second time rockets have been fired from Lebanon into Israel.
⭕️The IDF struck dozens of Hezbollah rocket launchers and a command center from which Hezbollah terrorists were operating in southern Lebanon a short while ago.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 22, 2025
The rocket fire launched this morning toward the Galilee constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings… pic.twitter.com/jRqphttiXT
The recent attacks have sparked concerns over the ceasefire deal between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. The ceasefire agreement took effect last year in November with Israel agreeing to withdraw its troop's presence in southern Lebanon.
The ceasefire deal itself is fragile as Israeli troops continued their presence in five locations in Lebanon.
Though no group has claimed any responsibility, Lebanon's prime minister expressed concern over the attacks and said his country is being dragged "into a new war". Prime Minister Nawaf Salam asked the Lebanese military to take necessary measures in the south amid the increasing attacks.
The Israel-Hezbollah conflict began after Hamas's October 7 conflict triggering the Gaza war.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said that he will not allow Lebanon to fire into Israeli communities.
Why the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal did not hold
With the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal broken, Tel Aviv has stepped up its attack in Gaza. Around 600 Palestinians have been killed since Israel relaunched its attacks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed Hamas for its renewal of attacks. The failure of Hamas to release the remaining hostages was cited behind the renewed attacks.
The IDF sources also mentioned that the ceasefire duration has helped Hamas to regroup its forces.
Meanwhile, experts note that the renewed Israeli attacks are a matter of disagreements in the deal. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has accused the government of "a complete deception" by pulling out of the deal.
The first phase of the ceasefire deal finished on March 1, but the next level of discussions never made progress.
