BEIRUT: Israeli airstrikes killed three people and wounded another in Lebanon on Thursday, as President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed his government’s commitment to disarming Hezbollah and ensuring state control over all weapons in the country.
The Israeli attacks hit the eastern Hermel district and the southern town of Janata. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health confirmed the casualties, while the Israeli military claimed the strikes targeted Hezbollah operatives.
Aoun said the disarmament process was “ongoing in accordance with circumstances.”
Army chief Gen. Rodolphe Haykal is expected to present a report to the Cabinet early in the new year, confirming the completion of disarmament south of the Litani River and outlining the next phase northward to the Awali River.
A formation of eight Israeli warplanes flew at high altitude over Baalbek and its surrounding villages before retreating southeast toward the eastern mountain range.
In a series of strikes, an Israeli drone targeted a passenger bus at the Al-Nasseriya–Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali junction, killing two people, including Ali Abdulamir Salman.
Another drone strike hit a car in the town of Janata in the Tyre district, injuring a passerby who was taken to hospital for treatment.
In the afternoon, a third Israeli drone targeted a pickup truck at the entrance of Safad al-Battikh in Bint Jbeil district, injuring one person. The Israeli army later confirmed the strike, claiming it had targeted a Hezbollah member.
The military then announced it had killed Hussein Al-Jawhari, describing him as a “senior member of the Iranian Quds Force’s operations unit,” in an airstrike in Lebanon.
Joseph El-Kosseifi, head of Lebanon’s Editors Syndicate, condemned the Israeli army on Thursday for opening fire on an Al Mayadeen television crew. The team had been filming a report in the southern town of Dhayra with the knowledge and coordination of the Lebanese army.
On Wednesday night, Israeli forces demolished several homes in the border town of Kfar Kila. Separately, two Israeli drones dropped explosive devices on the town of Houla, damaging an excavator and several vehicles. Another drone dropped a sound bomb on the town of Odaisseh.
Israeli reconnaissance aircraft also flew at low altitude over Beirut and its southern suburbs.
In recent weeks, Israel has intensified its raids across the border, averaging around six strikes per day in December — equivalent to one strike every four hours.
UNIFIL reported that the ceasefire agreement has been violated more than 10,000 times, or once every 53 minutes on average. The figure includes more than 2,500 ground activities by the Israeli army and more than 7,800 violations of Lebanese airspace, the UN peacekeeping force said.
Speaking to journalists during the Christmas celebration in Bkerke, led by Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi, Aoun expressed hope for the “birth of a new Lebanon” and a peaceful end to hostilities.
“We are celebrating Christmas while a bleeding wound remains in the south,” he said.
“Our people have not yet returned to their villages, our detainees remain in Israeli prisons, and attacks continue, most recently today in the south and the Bekaa. I hope for the end of wars and the beginning of peace.”
Aoun said that Lebanese diplomats are working alongside the Mechanism Committee with key international partners, including the US, EU, and Arab states, to prevent violence escalating and support ceasefire efforts.
“In negotiations, each side naturally pushes its demands higher, but I remain optimistic,” he said. “God willing, we are heading toward positive outcomes.”
The president added that the new year must bring institutional reform.
“We hope 2025 will mark the birth of a new Lebanon, one that is governed by institutions, not parties, sects, or confessional divisions, but a state built on transparency and accountability,” he said.
Asked if he was satisfied with the pace of reforms, Aoun pointed to progress in the past year, saying that “we have put things on the right track. The government has signed over 2,000 decrees in the past 10 months. The situation is improving, and I am optimistic.”
He reiterated his commitment to holding parliamentary elections on time alongside Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. Referring to the electoral law to be adopted, Aoun said that “it is up to MPs to debate and decide in Parliament. Our duty is to ensure a safe and democratic process.”
During an exceptional meeting with senior leadership, as well as commanders of operational units and regiments, Haykal said that the army is “nearing completion of the first phase” of its plan to place all weapons under the authority of the state.
He said that the next phases are being approached “with precision and deliberation,” and that planning is underway based on evaluation of all relevant data and evolving circumstances.
The army chief praised the military’s “professional performance,” which he said, “continues to earn the trust of brotherly and friendly nations,” despite periodic accusations and Israeli “disinformation campaigns” aimed at undermining confidence in the army’s role and doctrine.
“One of the key reasons for the confidence and support the army receives is its proven track record in fulfilling its duties across all Lebanese regions, especially in the south, despite limited resources,” he added.
