Israel Maintains Strikes in Lebanon as Ceasefire Holds Uneasily
While Hezbollah appears to be holding back, signs of regrouping despite the ceasefire and monitoring efforts have prompted Israeli strikes and heightened regional tensions
The Israeli army continues to operate in Lebanon despite the absence of direct attacks from the Hezbollah terrorist organization. Early Tuesday, Lebanese media reported that Israeli ground troops entered Mays al-Jabal in southern Lebanon while Lebanese troops were patrolling the area.
Israel has continued its military strikes in southern Lebanon despite the November 2024 ceasefire with Hezbollah that ended more than a year of fighting. Israel’s persistent military action in Lebanon, including a permanent presence in five positions along the border, has raised questions about the sustainability of the ceasefire and Israel’s strategic intentions. It also tests Hezbollah’s patience.
Since November, Israeli airstrikes have continually targeted what the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) define as Hezbollah infrastructure and leadership. Hezbollah has not retaliated, displaying restraint despite highly visible Israeli attacks.
The ceasefire agreement also tasked the Lebanese army with establishing exclusive control in southern Lebanon by expelling Hezbollah forces from the area adjacent to the border with Israel.
Israel continues to act where it sees the Lebanese army is not doing its job
“Israel continues to act where it sees the Lebanese army is not doing its job,” said Abraham Levine, a speaker and digital content manager at the Alma Research and Education Center in northern Israel, to The Media Line.
US Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers is heading the implementation of the ceasefire and the monitoring mechanism that both sides are supposed to use to report violations.
In the past month, IDF operations against Hezbollah have coincided with Lebanon’s first municipal elections in nearly a decade. These elections were also held in southern Lebanon, along the Israeli border, in areas either destroyed by the Israeli army or deserted by residents who fled the fighting and have since returned. This was the first time since the war with Israel that Hezbollah’s popularity was tested. The group, which also functions as a political movement, is expected to win some victories. But its dominance has waned in certain areas, suggesting a changing political landscape in Lebanon.
The municipal elections follow years of political paralysis. Lebanon’s parliament recently elected a president: Joseph Aoun, a former military commander considered a centrist with strong ties to the West.
Hezbollah joined Hamas in attacking Israel in October 2023, but later agreed to a ceasefire despite the continued war in Gaza. The Israeli military campaign against the Iranian-backed Lebanese group inflicted substantial damage on Hezbollah and its capabilities.
Reports indicate that the group has lost approximately half of its missile and rocket arsenal, which had been built up over decades. Its military infrastructure, including bases and weapons depots, has also been targeted, further weakening its operational capacity.
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Even so, Hezbollah is still believed to possess a considerable stockpile of weapons. As the municipal elections show, it remains a viable political force in Lebanon.
To avoid further destabilization—especially during Lebanon’s ongoing economic crisis—Hezbollah may be choosing to exercise restraint and put its struggle against Israel on hold.
“Israel continues to conduct pinpoint strikes against Hezbollah because, despite having been hit, it continues to try and act against Israel while attempting to rebuild its arsenal,” Dr. Barak Bouks, Paterson Chair in Security and Intelligence and a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University, told The Media Line.
In a speech on Sunday, Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s current leader who replaced Hassan Nasrallah, stressed that the group remains committed to “resistance” against Israel. Qassem also said the war with Israel is not over.
“Israel is still identifying Hezbollah efforts to regroup,” Bouks said. “Their pathway in Syria that was used to smuggle weapons no longer exists since the fall of the regime there, but they are trying in other ways to return to what they were.”
According to Bouks, while the monitoring mechanism overseen by Maj. Gen. Jeffers exists, the Lebanese government is not always quick to act.
Israel is in a delicate position in which there is a ceasefire, but … it also has no desire to allow Hezbollah to rebuild itself
“There is a delicate equilibrium,” Bouks explained. “Israel is in a delicate position in which there is a ceasefire, but when it identifies an immediate threat or an effort to rearm, while it wants to maintain the ceasefire, it also has no desire to allow Hezbollah to rebuild itself.
Levine also expressed reluctance to praise the monitoring mechanism.
There is no real proof it is working, no numbers or data are being published
“There is no real proof it is working, no numbers or data are being published about how many Hezbollah weapons the Lebanese army has confiscated, or how much effort it has really made,” he said. “This is why Israel continues to attack throughout Lebanon, not only near the border.”
Lebanese officials have been quoted in the media as saying that Lebanon has dismantled most of Hezbollah’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Israel continued its strikes during the municipal election process. While it claims to be preventing ceasefire violations by Hezbollah, the Lebanese government has voiced its dismay, saying the strikes undermine its sovereignty.
Lebanon is home to approximately 200,000 Palestinians, with 12 Palestinian refugee camps that have caused instability both within the camps and throughout the country. Over the weekend, senior Lebanese officials and Palestinian representatives met to begin the process of disarming the various Palestinian factions in the camps. This historic step has also sparked calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament.
Last week, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visited Lebanon for the first time in seven years as part of that process, stating publicly that only the Lebanese army should bear arms in the country. While these developments may be welcomed by Israel, some view them as only initial steps.
“Despite the changes in Lebanon’s leadership and the other efforts we see, Israel’s presence is still needed,” said Levine, explaining the necessity of Israel’s control over five areas along the southern border. “This prevents Hezbollah’s presence in those areas and allows topographic control in areas that are more elevated than within Israel. It prevents direct shooting at Israel.”
Lebanese President Aoun has stated that Israel’s presence is hampering the full deployment of his army in southern Lebanon. Israeli officials counter that the IDF’s presence there has no set deadline.
While the sides maintain a fragile ceasefire, tensions persist, and the risk of renewed conflict remains. The current calm on both sides of the border, despite continued Israeli operations, may prove temporary as each side calculates its next move.
