Israel launches intense airstrikes in Lebanon as deadline looms to disarm Hezbollah
BEIRUT (AP) — Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on southern and northeastern Lebanon on Thursday as a deadline looms to disarm the militant Hezbollah group along the countries’ tense frontier.
The strikes came a day before a meeting of the committee monitoring the enforcement of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that halted the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah a year ago. The gathering on Friday will be the second meeting of the mechanism after Israel and Lebanon appointed civilian members to a previously military-only committee. The group also includes the United States, France and the U.N. peacekeeping force deployed along the border.
In Paris, Lebanon’s army commander, Gen. Rodolph Haikal, held meetings with U.S., French and Saudi officials to discuss ways of assisting the army in its mission to boost its presence in the border area. Haikal started his meetings first by holding talks with French military officials.
Gen. Fabien Mandon, the French armed forces’ chief of staff, posted on X Thursday that he discussed with Haikal the strategic environment and security challenges in Lebanon and the region.
https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-israel-airstrikes-rihan-hermel-berri-0b10ae30cbec1ab92a9c1b14652d8467