Israeli Airstrikes Target Towns of Toul and Jebchit in Southern Lebanon

Israeli warplanes carried out two airstrikes targeting the southern Lebanese towns of Toul and Jebchit on Saturday, according to Al Jazeera's correspondent on the ground, marking a fresh escalation by Israeli forces in a region already scarred by months of cross-border conflict.

The strikes landed in the Nabatieh governorate, a area that has been repeatedly targeted by Israeli military operations since fighting resumed along the Lebanon-Israel frontier. No immediate casualty figures were available, and the full extent of the damage was not confirmed at the time of reporting.

The attacks come despite a ceasefire agreement brokered late last year that was intended to halt hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah along the Lebanese southern border. That agreement, facilitated in part through intensive American and French diplomatic efforts, had stipulated that Israeli forces withdraw from Lebanese territory and that the Lebanese army deploy along the frontier. Violations of the truce have been repeatedly documented by Lebanese authorities, who have formally lodged complaints with international guarantors of the agreement.

Qatar, which has played an active mediation role in the broader regional crisis including ongoing Gaza ceasefire negotiations, has consistently called for respect of Lebanese sovereignty and an end to Israeli military operations across the region. Doha's foreign ministry has previously condemned Israeli strikes on Lebanese population centres, urging the international community to hold Israel accountable under international law.

The Gulf Cooperation Council has echoed similar calls, with GCC member states warning that continued Israeli military action risks destabilising the wider Levant and threatening the security of regional states. Lebanon's fragile political and economic situation makes it particularly vulnerable to sustained military pressure, with reconstruction from earlier rounds of conflict still largely incomplete.

Southern Lebanon has endured repeated Israeli strikes since October 2023, when conflict between Israel and Hezbollah intensified following the outbreak of the Gaza war. Entire villages were evacuated and significant civilian infrastructure was destroyed before the November ceasefire temporarily halted the fighting. Displaced Lebanese families have been attempting to return to their homes in recent months, a process now threatened by resumed Israeli military activity.

Al Jazeera, which has maintained reporting teams on the ground in southern Lebanon despite the dangers faced by journalists operating in conflict zones, continues to document Israeli operations in the region. The network's correspondent did not immediately report casualties from the Toul and Jebchit strikes but noted the ongoing tension across the border area.

International human rights organisations have raised repeated alarms about the impact of Israeli strikes on Lebanese civilian communities, calling on the United Nations Security Council to take firmer action to enforce the existing ceasefire framework and protect civilian populations.