The Lebanon exception: Why US-Iran truce doesn't apply to Hezbollah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and representative image. (Photo: IANS, X/@MOSSADil)

Israel has sharply escalated its military campaign in Lebanon, launching its largest coordinated airstrikes yet against Hezbollah targets just days after the United States announced a temporary truce with Iran.

In a statement on Wednesday, the IDF said it carried out strikes targeting more than 100 Hezbollah command centers and military sites in Beirut, the Beqaa Valley, and southern Lebanon.

The IDF reported that the operation hit Hezbollah intelligence command centers, central headquarters, infrastructure related to its firepower and naval capabilities, as well as assets belonging to the group's elite units, including the Radwan Force and Aerial Unit 127.

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Although many of the targeted locations were in densely populated civilian areas, the IDF stated that steps were taken to mitigate harm to uninvolved individuals as much as possible.

"Most of the infrastructure that was struck was located within the heart of the civilian population, as part of Hezbollah's cynical exploitation of Lebanese civilians as human shields in order to safeguard its operations. Prior to the strikes, steps were taken to mitigate harm to uninvolved individuals as much as possible," the IDF said in its statement.

The strikes were completed within 10 minutes across multiple areas simultaneously, involving dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets in what the IDF described as the largest coordinated operation of its kind.

Why Israel continues to pound Lebanon despite the US-Iran truce

Though the US and Iran have agreed to cease hostilities for two weeks, Israel has continued its strikes on Lebanon. It has not agreed to pause operations there and is carrying out even more intense attacks.

Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire did not apply to Lebanon and that military operations against Hezbollah would continue.

"The battle in Lebanon continues, and the ceasefire does not include Lebanon," Israel's military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a statement.

US-Iran War

The US-led war against Iran began after Israel and the US launched a surprise attack on Iran on February 28, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior Iranian leaders. In response, Iran retaliated by launching attacks on US bases and closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil passes. Iran later allowed passage for a few friendly countries, including China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Iraq.

Hezbollah joined the war by firing approximately 124 missiles and drones into Israel, targeting military and security infrastructure, including a missile defense site south of Haifa. In response, Israel immediately escalated its airstrikes across Lebanon, including in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned Hezbollah's "irresponsible" actions, stating they were taken without state authorization.