On Saturday, November 8, 2025, the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was rocked by a series of Israeli drone strikes that left at least three people dead and several others wounded in southern Lebanon. According to Lebanon’s health ministry, two Lebanese men described as arms smugglers were killed in the town of Shebaa, while another strike in the southern village of Baraashit resulted in one fatality and four injuries. The Israeli military claimed these actions were necessary to counter ongoing weapons smuggling operations linked to Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed militant group that has long dominated southern Lebanon.
These latest attacks come amid a renewed escalation of tensions, despite the year-old truce that had, until recently, kept relative peace along the border. As reported by South China Morning Post, the Israeli military stated, “The terrorists were involved in smuggling weapons used by Hezbollah and their activities constituted a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.” The statement continued with a stark warning: “The IDF [military] will continue to operate in order to remove any threat posed to the State of Israel.”
But the fallout from these strikes was not limited to southern Lebanon. In the wake of the attacks, members of the Lebanese Red Cross were seen leading grieving families away from the smoking wreckage of vehicles, a grim reminder of the human cost of this ongoing conflict. The scenes in Shebaa and Baraashit echoed a broader pattern of violence that has unfolded since the ceasefire was brokered in November 2024—a truce that, while still technically in effect, is now under severe strain.
According to The Times of Israel, Israel’s government has grown increasingly frustrated with Lebanon’s efforts to rein in Hezbollah. In a message relayed through the US-led mechanism tasked with enforcing the ceasefire, Israeli officials warned the Lebanese army that they are “not satisfied with the actions taken so far against the Hezbollah terror group,” vowing to continue their bombing campaign unless Beirut takes more decisive action. The message, as quoted by the Kan public broadcaster, was blunt: “You aren’t doing enough against Hezbollah, not in pace and not in scale. Without significant action in rural areas and private property, Israel will continue to forcefully attack.”
The Israeli accusations are not without context. In recent weeks, intelligence reports cited by the Israeli government allege that Hezbollah has smuggled hundreds of rockets from Syria into Lebanon, restored missile launchers damaged during previous clashes, and enlisted thousands of new recruits. All of these actions, Israel contends, are clear violations of the ceasefire agreement reached last November, which required Hezbollah to disarm and halt all offensive operations near the border.
Since the ceasefire, Israel has carried out numerous strikes on what it describes as imminent Hezbollah threats, a right it claims was preserved under the terms of the truce. The stepped-up campaign in recent days included the killing of three Hezbollah members in two separate strikes on November 8, following an intense bombing run just days earlier. The Israeli military maintains that these operations are necessary to prevent Hezbollah from regaining its former strength and threatening Israeli communities in the north.
International reaction to the renewed violence has been swift. The European Union, which has played a mediating role in past conflicts, condemned the Israeli strikes and called for both sides to respect the ceasefire and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. “The EU calls on Israel to cease all actions that violate resolution 1701 and the ceasefire agreement reached a year ago in November 2024,” stated EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni. He added, “At the same time, we urge all Lebanese actors and especially Hezbollah to refrain from any measures or responses that could further inflame the situation. Focus by all parties must be on preserving the ceasefire and the progress achieved so far.”
Yet, the reality on the ground is far more complicated. Hezbollah, which has long resisted efforts to disarm, remains defiant. The group was the only armed movement in Lebanon that refused to lay down its weapons after the country’s brutal 1975-1990 civil war. Since then, it has steadily built up its arsenal, often with Iranian support, and has repeatedly clashed with Israel in a series of conflicts. The most recent war broke out on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched missile attacks on Israel in response to the Hamas-led assault in southern Israel. Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a limited ground incursion, which, according to Israeli sources, killed much of Hezbollah’s leadership and destroyed many of its fortifications along the border. The November 2024 ceasefire left Hezbollah weakened but far from defeated.
The Lebanese army, for its part, has been caught in the middle. While it has drawn up plans to disarm Hezbollah and reportedly expended large quantities of ordnance to destroy the group’s stockpiles, it has also faced shortages of explosives and accusations from Israel that it is not doing enough. The Lebanese military, however, counters that Israel’s frequent strikes are undermining Lebanon’s stability and preventing the completion of the army’s deployment in the south, as stipulated by the ceasefire agreement.
“The Lebanese army has accused Israel of seeking to ‘undermine Lebanon’s stability’ with the frequent strikes and to ‘prevent the completion of the army’s deployment’ in line with the ceasefire,” The Times of Israel reported. The Lebanese government has also pointed out that, while Lebanon and Israel remain technically at war, it is Hezbollah—not the Lebanese military—that has fought the recent conflicts with Israel.
Amid this tangled web of accusations and counter-accusations, the people of southern Lebanon continue to bear the brunt of the violence. The funeral processions for Hezbollah fighters killed in recent Israeli strikes have become a common sight in towns like Nabatieh, where supporters raise their fists and chant slogans, vowing to resist Israeli aggression. Meanwhile, families in Shebaa and Baraashit mourn the loss of loved ones, caught in the crossfire of a conflict that shows little sign of abating.
As the international community calls for restraint and renewed commitment to the ceasefire, the question remains: can the fragile peace hold, or are both sides sliding toward another devastating round of conflict? For now, all eyes are on the border, where the next move could determine the fate of the region for months—if not years—to come.
