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Overnight strikes in south
Israel carried out a series of overnight air strikes and attacks across southern Lebanon, with Lebanese state media reporting strikes on the town of Mansouri after 2 am local time.
“Israeli jets struck the town of Mansouri after 2 am local time”
The National News Agency said Israeli forces also carried out explosions in the towns of Hadatha and al-Tiri in the Bint Jbeil district, while Israel conducted mock air raids over the city of Tyre and surrounding villages and towns overnight.
Separately, the Israeli army launched strikes and artillery shells at Ali al-Taher Hill, and bombings were reported in the towns of Haddatha and Tayri in the Bint Jbeil district, according to state media cited by Middle East Eye.
The latest attacks came amid continuing tensions between Israel and Lebanon following the outbreak of a new round of hostilities on March 2, with the escalation described as shattering the ceasefire agreement that had been in place since November 2024.
Officials, ceasefire, and blame
Lebanon has demanded an end to Israeli attacks and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory, while Israel tied further withdrawals and security arrangements to steps aimed at preventing Hezbollah from maintaining a military presence near its border.
In a statement carried by Anadolu Ajansı, the Lebanese National News Agency said Israeli artillery fire targeted the town of Houla and parts of the Marjayoun district, along with positions near Qabrikha and Tulin, while artillery shelling was also reported in the Saluki and Hujeir valleys.
Former Israeli defense minister Moshe Ya'alon accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of keeping existing war fronts open and seeking to open new ones to preempt an official commission of inquiry, according to Anadolu Ajansı.
RFI reported that residents, NGOs, and civil defense members accuse Israel of deliberate arson as fires spread after Israeli strikes, and it quoted Nabatieh civil defense head Hussein Fakih saying, "90% of these fires are caused by the Israeli army."
Destruction, negotiations, and stakes
In the Bint Jbeil district, Ici Beyrouth reported that Israeli aviation struck a house on the outskirts of Baraachit after the Israeli army said soldiers from the Kfir Brigade, under the command of the 91st Division, spotted suspects who had crossed the boundary of the “security zone” at Baraachit.
“No human toll was immediately reported”
The same report said no human toll was immediately reported, while it described explosions and house fires in areas including Arnoun and Kfar Tebnit in the Nabatieh district and a destruction operation at Haddatha in the Bint Jbeil district.
In parallel, Today (L'Orient Today) said Israel claimed it targeted a house in Braasheet after observing "several suspicious individuals who had crossed the line marking the buffer zone" enter the structure, and it described continued demolitions and detonations across villages under Israeli control.
Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri told Sky News Arabia that "a group of countries has declared its readiness to assist the Lebanese army when it enters the pilot zones in the South," while he said Israel is opposed to this move and that the process of pilot zones is at a standstill.