The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) issued a statement Friday condemning Israeli airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, warning that continued attacks could lead to a freeze in cooperation with the international ceasefire monitoring mechanism.
The LAF said Israel’s strikes on Thursday night, which targeted buildings in the Dahiya district of Beirut, coincided with Eid al-Adha and were part of what it described as “daily aggression” violating Lebanese sovereignty and the ceasefire framework established under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.
“In the recent phase, the Israeli enemy has been escalating its attacks against Lebanon, targeting civilians, residential buildings, and facilities in various regions,” the army said in its June 6 statement. “The latest of these attacks was targeting sites in the southern suburbs of Beirut and the south last night.”
دأب العدو الإسرائيلي في المرحلة الأخيرة على تصعيد اعتداءاته ضد لبنان مستهدفًا مواطنين وأبنية سكنية ومنشآت في مناطق مختلفة، وآخرها استهداف مواقع في ضاحية بيروت الجنوبية والجنوب ليل أمس، بالتوازي مع احتلاله أراضيَ لبنانية ومواصلته خروقاته التي تحولت إلى عدوان يومي على سيادة لبنان،… pic.twitter.com/hJ8ZXOk21A
— الجيش اللبناني (@LebarmyOfficial) June 6, 2025
The army added that it had attempted to prevent the strikes by coordinating with the Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring Committee, a U.S.-led mechanism involving Lebanon, Israel, France, the United States, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Patrols were dispatched to inspect multiple sites in coordination with the committee, but Israel rejected the proposal.
The statement also emphasized the army’s ongoing commitment to Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. “The Israeli enemy’s persistent violation of the Agreement and its refusal to cooperate with the Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring Mechanism only weakens the role of the Committee and the Army, and could lead the military establishment to freeze cooperation… regarding site inspections,” the LAF said.
The Israeli military said the airstrikes targeted underground infrastructure used by Hezbollah for drone production. Lebanese media reported that the Lebanese army entered some of the buildings prior to the strikes and found no weapons, although there was no official confirmation.
🚨BREAKING: First explosions in the southern suburbs of Beirut after Israeli strikes. pic.twitter.com/jLQbAIG8mb
— World Source News 24/7 (@Worldsource24) June 5, 2025
‼️So far, 15 Israeli drone strikes and 6 Israeli airstrikes have been recorded on Beirut’s southern suburb. pic.twitter.com/KSPwGq3edI
— Pheebs (@galpalpheebs) June 5, 2025
A Hezbollah official denied that the targeted locations were being used for military purposes, claiming “Israel in general, and Netanyahu in particular, wants to continue the war in the region,” according to a report by the Lebanese news outlet Naharnet.
Thursday’s strikes came on the eve of Eid al-Adha, one of the most significant holidays in the Islamic calendar. In response, both Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the attacks.
The LAF’s warning follows a recent Wall Street Journal report that cited significant progress by the Lebanese army in dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said about 80 percent of the government’s disarmament goals have been met, with U.S. and Israeli officials reportedly satisfied with the results.
According to Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) David Daoud, Israeli intelligence is passed to the LAF indirectly through the ceasefire monitoring committee. The LAF then has 72 hours to act on the information before Israel intervenes.
As of Friday afternoon, there were no reports of casualties, and no formal Lebanese government assessment of damage had been released.
