Israel strikes multiple sites in Lebanon ahead of key disarmament meeting

Israels Air Force struck areas in southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday and early Tuesday including in the countrys thirdlargest cityA strike around 1 am on Tuesday leveled a threestory commercial building in the southern coastal city of Sidon a few days before Lebanons army commander is scheduled to brief the government on its mission of disarming militant group Hezbollah in areas along the border with IsraelLebanese President Joseph Aoun in a statement Tuesday condemned the attacks as counter to both international efforts to deescalate hostilities and Lebanons efforts to extend the governments authority into areas long dominated by Hezbollah and to disarm militantsAn Associated Press photographer at the scene in Sidon said the area was in a commercial district containing workshops and mechanic shops and the building was uninhabitedAt least one person was transported by ambulance and rescue teams were searching the site for others but no deaths have been reportedIsraels military said Tuesday they targeted weapons storage sites and infrastructure belonging to the militant groups Hezbollah and HamasThey acknowledged the sites were located in civilian areas but blamed the groups for operating thereThe strikes were the latest in neardaily Israeli military action since a ceasefire signed more than a year ago that included a Lebanese pledge to disarm militant groups which Israel says has not been fulfilledThey took place nearly two hours after Israels military Arabic language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted warnings on X that the military would strike targets in two villages in the eastern Bekaa Valley and two others in southern LebanonLebanons staterun National News Agency said a home struck in the village of Manara in the Bekaa Valley belonged to Sharhabil alSayed a Hamas military commander who was killed in an Israeli drone strike in May 2024The areas were evacuated after Israels warningThere were no reports of casualties in those strikesEarlier Monday Lebanons Health Ministry said a drone strike on a car in the southern village of Braikeh earlier Monday wounded two peopleThe Israeli military said the strike targeted two Hezbollah membersThe Lebanese army last year began the disarmament process of Palestinian groups while the government has said that by the end of 2025 all the areas close to the border with Israel known as the south Litani area will be clear of Hezbollahs armed presenceThe Lebanese government is scheduled to discuss Hezbollahs disarmament during a meeting Thursday that will be attended by army commander Gen Rudolph HaikalMondays airstrikes were in villages north of the Litani river and far from the border with IsraelThe disarmament of Hezbollah and other Palestinian groups by the Lebanese government came after a 14month war between Israel and Hezbollah in which much of the political and military leadership of the Iranbacked group was killedThe latest IsraelHezbollah war began Oct 8 2023 a day after Hamas attacked southern Israel when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in solidarity with HamasIsrael launched a widespread bombardment of Lebanon in September 2024 that severely weakened Hezbollah followed by a ground invasionThe war ended in November 2024 with a ceasefire brokered by the USIsrael has carried out almost daily airstrikes since then mainly targeting Hezbollah members but also killing at least 127 civilians according to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human RightsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever