BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Israel launched a new wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, warning residents of several villages to evacuate as tensions continued to rise despite an almost year-long ceasefire.
Analysts believed that the escalation is part of Israel's calculated pressure campaign against Hezbollah.
The Israeli military said Thursday in a statement that it has "begun a series of strikes on Hezbollah military targets in southern Lebanon," with army spokesperson Avichay Adraee issuing specific evacuation warnings for the villages of Al-Tayyiba, Tayr Debba, and Aita al-Jabal.
Lebanese sources said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday killed one person and injured eight others in the municipality of Toura in the south, and injured one more in Tayr Debba.
The latest strikes have triggered fresh displacement, with heavy traffic reported as residents flee targeted areas. Several private schools in southern Lebanon's Nabatieh area announced closures on Friday to avoid exposing students and teachers to danger.
The attacks marked the latest in a series of escalating Israeli operations that Lebanese sources said have intensified throughout early November.
According to the sources, the Israeli army carried out 22 military operations during the first week of November alone, including air raids, artillery shelling, and house demolitions.
"These military operations resulted in the death of eight people and the injury of 10 others, the destruction of six houses, the burning of four bulldozers, and extensive damage to civilian property and infrastructure," the sources told Xinhua on Thursday.
This followed October's casualties, which the Lebanese Health Ministry reported as 28 killed and 54 injured from Israeli shelling.
Also on Thursday, a senior Lebanese military intelligence source revealed that "the Lebanese army is working with full force to clear areas south of the Litani River of weapons and militants," having established positions in 118 locations and destroyed dozens of military sites and tunnels.
Lebanese army units have completed about 90 percent of their assigned first-phase mission, which is set to conclude by the end of this year, the source said.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah issued on Thursday an open letter to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, warning against "slipping into negotiation traps" with Israel.
"There is no national interest in political negotiations with the Israeli enemy," the statement said, adding that Israel is using "blackmail" to impose conditions, including the disarmament of Hezbollah, as a prerequisite for ending hostilities, which is "unacceptable and not included in the ceasefire declaration."
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon has repeated its deep concern about the escalation of military operations on both sides of the Blue Line, urging all parties "to exercise restraint and maintain open communication channels to avoid miscalculation."
A ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel has been in effect since Nov. 27, 2024. Still, the Israeli army continues to conduct occasional strikes in Lebanon, citing operations against Hezbollah "threats," while maintaining forces at five main positions along the Lebanese border.
"Lebanon currently stands on the brink of a new confrontation," Lebanese political analyst Nidal Issa told Xinhua, describing the situation as "part of Israel's 'pressure by fire' policy aimed at imposing its conditions before sliding into what could be called a full-scale war."
Despite the intensified operations, "Hezbollah is striving to maintain the deterrence balance without being dragged into an all-out war, viewing Israel's demand for its disarmament as a condition meant to humiliate Lebanon," Issa said.
Refaat Badawi, political analyst and advisor to former Lebanese Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss, believed the escalation "aims at imposing pressure on Hezbollah and the Lebanese government to enter direct or indirect negotiations under a diplomatic framework that may lead to normalization of ties between Lebanon and Israel."
"Israel is imposing this pressure to blackmail Lebanon and keep the status quo in southern Lebanon, to stop Lebanon from demanding Israeli withdrawal from the south, and to return to the 1949 ceasefire agreement," Badawi said. Enditem
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