Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced that Hezbollah's underground infrastructure facilities in southern Lebanon were destroyed. In a joint statement, they claimed the Israeli military used 700 tons of explosives for this operation.
Israeli officials stated that the operation was carried out in response to Hezbollah's ceasefire violations. The statement emphasized that Israel 'will not accept violations of the ceasefire agreement,' and reiterated the threat that Hezbollah 'will pay a heavy price for any attempt to attack the Israeli military and citizens.'
The statement said that the Israeli military will continue to remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon and will 'continue to destroy military infrastructure to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities.'
Conflict timeline and human toll
The Israeli military launched intensive airstrikes on Lebanon on March 2 and occupied several towns in the south of the country. The Lebanese government announced that the number of displaced people in the country exceeded 1 million during this period.
In its latest statement, Lebanon's Health Ministry reported that 4,333 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2.
Ceasefire talks
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on April 24 that the 10-day temporary ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, which took effect on April 17, had been extended by another three weeks. As a result of the third round of talks mediated by the U.S., the ceasefire was extended by 45 days as of May 17.
After the fifth round of direct negotiations in Washington, a framework agreement was signed between Lebanon and Israel on June 26.