On December 4, 2025, the fragile calm in southern Lebanon shattered once again as Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes on several towns, targeting what the Israeli military described as Hezbollah weapons facilities. The attacks came just one day after a historic meeting between Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives—an event many had hoped would signal a new chapter of dialogue, if not outright peace, between the two long-warring neighbors.
According to multiple reports, including from the Lebanese National News Agency and Anadolu, the Israeli army struck the towns of Mahrouna, Jbaa, Majadal, and Baraachit in the south, issuing immediate evacuation orders to residents just before the raids. In Jbaa, a multi-story residential building near a local infirmary was destroyed, several homes east of the town were damaged, and fires broke out at the site. Smoke could be seen rising from Jbaa, a sight that has become all too familiar to its residents. An Israeli drone also dropped a stun grenade on the Naqoura shoreline earlier that day, Beirut-based Al Mayadeen reported.
Local official Yassir Madi spoke to journalists, including those from AFP, painting a grim picture of the aftermath in Jbaa. "It's a completely civilian area. We're used to Israeli threats from time to time. As for the damage, there's not a window within 300 meters that didn't break. Everyone is living in shock," he said. The Israeli military, for its part, insisted that the strikes were aimed at "weapons storage facilities belonging to Hezbollah" located in the "heart of the civilian population." The army accused Hezbollah of using Lebanese civilians as human shields and continuing operations from within civilian areas.
The airstrikes followed warnings from Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee, who ordered residents of Mahrouna and Jbaa to evacuate immediately, claiming the attacks were in response to what he described as Hezbollah’s "prohibited attempts" to rebuild its activities in southern Lebanon. Evacuation orders were also issued for residents of Mjadel in the Tyre district and Baraachit in Nabatieh.
Despite a ceasefire that took effect on November 27, 2024, and was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities, violence has persisted along the border. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, at least 335 people have been killed and 973 injured by Israeli fire since the ceasefire began. The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has reported over 10,000 Israeli air and ground violations since the truce. Under the terms of the ceasefire, the Israeli army was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon by January 2025. Instead, it has only partially pulled out, maintaining a military presence at five strategic border outposts.
This latest escalation came on the heels of a rare diplomatic breakthrough: from December 1 to December 3, Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct talks in decades at the UN peacekeeping force’s headquarters in Naqoura, near the border. The talks were convened under the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, with representatives from the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel, and the UN force regularly participating.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun described the initial negotiations as "positive" and announced that another round of talks would begin on December 19. Information Minister Paul Morcos quoted Aoun as stressing "the need for the language of negotiation—not the language of war—to prevail." The United States, which has been pressing for rapid disarmament of Hezbollah and direct talks between Lebanon and Israel, was represented at the talks by envoy Morgan Ortagus. Ortagus had also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in Jerusalem just a day earlier.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office echoed the positive tone, stating that there was agreement "to develop ideas to promote potential economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon." However, Netanyahu’s office also made it clear that it was "essential" for Hezbollah to disarm, regardless of any progress on economic cooperation. The United States and France both welcomed the talks, with a French foreign ministry spokesperson emphasizing the importance of maintaining the ceasefire mechanism as a framework for de-escalation and a lasting return to stability in the region.
Still, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam cautioned that the new diplomatic contact did not amount to broader peace discussions. "We are not yet at peace talks," Salam told journalists, including AFP, on December 3. He emphasized that the talks were strictly limited to implementing last year’s truce, achieving a cessation of hostilities, securing the release of Lebanese hostages, and ensuring the complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory. "The discussions only sought the cessation of hostilities, the release of Lebanese hostages, and the complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon," he said.
Despite these diplomatic efforts, the reality on the ground remains fraught with danger and uncertainty. The Lebanese government has publicly committed to disarming Hezbollah, but the group has so far rejected the idea, and many in Lebanon fear a return to expanded Israeli military operations. The persistence of Israeli strikes, the maintenance of troops in strategic areas, and the high civilian toll have stoked tensions and deepened mistrust on both sides.
Israel’s argument that Hezbollah operates from within civilian areas is not new, but it has drawn sharp criticism from Lebanese officials and international observers who point to the devastating impact on noncombatants. The destruction of homes, the deaths and injuries, and the psychological toll on communities like Jbaa and Mahrouna have left many residents feeling trapped and vulnerable. Meanwhile, the lack of immediate comment from Hezbollah or Lebanese authorities on the latest attacks has only added to the sense of unease.
For now, the region remains in a precarious state. The next round of talks, scheduled for December 19, offers a glimmer of hope for those yearning for an end to the violence. But as the events of December 4 have shown, the road to peace is anything but straightforward. The international community, particularly the United States and France, continues to push for dialogue and de-escalation, but the challenges—rooted in decades of conflict, mistrust, and competing interests—are immense.
As smoke clears from the latest strikes and families in southern Lebanon pick up the pieces, the question remains: can diplomacy finally prevail over the language of war, or will the cycle of violence continue to define the lives of those caught in the crossfire?
