JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said it struck military sites in east and south Lebanon on Thursday, in its latest attack despite a November ceasefire that ended a war against militant group Hezbollah.
“A short while ago, the IDF (military) struck a military site containing an underground terrorist infrastructure site in the Bekaa area in Lebanon, as well as a military site containing rocket launchers in southern Lebanon in which Hezbollah activity has been identified,” the military said in a statement.
Lebanese state media on Thursday reported Israeli strikes on the country’s south and east.
The state-run National News Agency said “enemy aircraft” struck “the eastern slopes of the mountain range within the town of Janta in the Bekaa,” as well as “the outskirts of the town of Taraya, west of Baalbek,” also in the east.
Four missiles were fired in the Nabatiyeh area of southern Lebanon, NNA said.
No casualties were immediately reported.
The November 27 truce largely halted more than a year of fighting between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, including two months of open war during which Israel sent in ground troops.
Hezbollah had said it was acting in support of Hamas militants fighting Israel in Gaza.
Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Lebanese territory since the truce agreement took effect.
Under the agreement, Israel had been expected to withdraw from Lebanon by February 18 after missing a January deadline, but it has kept troops at five locations it deems “strategic.”
The ceasefire also required Hezbollah to pull back north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border, and to dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.
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Israel says struck military sites in east, south Lebanon
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Israel says struck military sites in east, south Lebanon
- Lebanese state media on Thursday reported Israeli strikes on the country’s south and east
- Four missiles were fired in the Nabatiyeh area of southern Lebanon
Netanyahu mocks corruption trial as ‘Bugs Bunny’ farce
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the ongoing corruption case against him as a “Bugs Bunny trial” and defended his controversial pardon request in a video published on social media.
The three-minute video, released late Thursday, came a week after Netanyahu formally requested a pardon from Israeli President Isaac Herzog, arguing that his prosecution was dividing the nation.
US President Donald Trump also sent a letter last month to Herzog with the same request.
In the video shared online late Thursday, Netanyahu denounced the proceedings a “political trial” designed to force him from office, reiterating his longstanding denial of any wrongdoing.
The charges include two cases in which Netanyahu allegedly negotiated favorable media coverage from Israeli news outlets, and a third involving accusations he accepted more than $260,000 in luxury gifts — including cigars, jewelry, and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favors.
A fourth corruption charge was previously dismissed.
In the video, Netanyahu held up a Bugs Bunny puppet, mocking prosecutors for allegedly citing a cartoon doll he received as a gift for his son 29 years ago as evidence against him.
“From now on, this trial will be known as the Bugs Bunny trial,” he declared.
Netanyahu further dismissed the cigar gifts as presents “from a friend” and claimed his alleged attempts to secure favorable coverage from “a second-rate Internet site” instead resulted in “the most hateful, antagonistic, negative press coverage you can imagine in Israel.”
Netanyahu is the first sitting Israeli prime minister to stand trial for corruption.
The proceedings, which began in 2019, have recently required him to testify three times weekly — a schedule he argues prevents him from effectively governing.
“This farce is costing the country dearly,” he said. “I can’t deal with that... So I asked for a pardon.”
The cases have exposed sharp divisions in Israeli society.
On Monday, before Netanyahu’s latest court appearance, rival groups of protesters gathered outside the Tel Aviv courthouse — some chanting in support of the prime minister, others opposing him, including demonstrators wearing bright orange prison-style jumpsuits to imply that he should be imprisoned.
The three-minute video, released late Thursday, came a week after Netanyahu formally requested a pardon from Israeli President Isaac Herzog, arguing that his prosecution was dividing the nation.
US President Donald Trump also sent a letter last month to Herzog with the same request.
In the video shared online late Thursday, Netanyahu denounced the proceedings a “political trial” designed to force him from office, reiterating his longstanding denial of any wrongdoing.
The charges include two cases in which Netanyahu allegedly negotiated favorable media coverage from Israeli news outlets, and a third involving accusations he accepted more than $260,000 in luxury gifts — including cigars, jewelry, and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favors.
A fourth corruption charge was previously dismissed.
In the video, Netanyahu held up a Bugs Bunny puppet, mocking prosecutors for allegedly citing a cartoon doll he received as a gift for his son 29 years ago as evidence against him.
“From now on, this trial will be known as the Bugs Bunny trial,” he declared.
Netanyahu further dismissed the cigar gifts as presents “from a friend” and claimed his alleged attempts to secure favorable coverage from “a second-rate Internet site” instead resulted in “the most hateful, antagonistic, negative press coverage you can imagine in Israel.”
Netanyahu is the first sitting Israeli prime minister to stand trial for corruption.
The proceedings, which began in 2019, have recently required him to testify three times weekly — a schedule he argues prevents him from effectively governing.
“This farce is costing the country dearly,” he said. “I can’t deal with that... So I asked for a pardon.”
The cases have exposed sharp divisions in Israeli society.
On Monday, before Netanyahu’s latest court appearance, rival groups of protesters gathered outside the Tel Aviv courthouse — some chanting in support of the prime minister, others opposing him, including demonstrators wearing bright orange prison-style jumpsuits to imply that he should be imprisoned.
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