Israeli Strikes Target Hezbollah Infrastructure in Lebanon, Raising Ceasefire concerns
Israel launched a series of strikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure and operatives throughout southern Lebanon and along the border with Syria on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The strikes come amid heightened tensions and accusations of ceasefire violations following a US-brokered agreement intended to de-escalate conflict in the region.
Prior to the military action, the IDF issued evacuation warnings to residents of several towns in southern Lebanon, signaling an impending escalation. According to the IDF, the operations specifically targeted Hezbollah weapon depots, including one located underground, aiming to disrupt the group’s military capabilities.
“The infrastructures that were struck were located in the heart of a civilian population. This is another example of the cynical use by the Hezbollah terror institution of Lebanese civilians as human shields and of the organization’s activity from within civilian assets,” a senior military official stated. The IDF maintains that Hezbollah’s actions constitute a breach of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement and present a direct threat to Israel’s security.
the state-run National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes conducted raids on buildings in several southern Lebanese towns, including Qennarit and Kfour, following the evacuation notices. An AFP photographer was reportedly slightly wounded, along with two other journalists, near the site of a heavy strike in Qennarit.
Further expanding the scope of the operations, the Israeli air force targeted four land crossings on the Lebanese-Syrian border in Lebanon’s northern Hermel region. The IDF alleges these routes were being utilized by Hezbollah for weapons smuggling.
In a separate development, a key Hezbollah operative, Abu Ali Salameh, was killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier on Wednesday. The IDF identified Salameh as a “liaison officer” in the village of Yanouh, responsible for coordinating Hezbollah activities and enabling the organization to operate within civilian areas. According to the IDF, Salameh actively obstructed a Lebanese army attempt to dismantle a Hezbollah weapons depot in Yanouh last month, receiving reports from the Lebanese Armed Forces and then facilitating the relocation of weapons before they could be seized.
The IDF claims Salameh coordinated with the Lebanese army to falsely document the site as empty, and that suspicious boxes were removed from the compound during the Lebanese Armed Forces’ operation. These actions, the IDF asserts, are a clear violation of the existing ceasefire.
additionally, the IDF reported the killing of Mohammad Awatsheh, a “key” Hezbollah weapons smuggler, in a strike near Sidon. Awatsheh was allegedly involved in managing weapon transfers, utilizing a front company to transport prohibited goods from countries including Iraq, syria, and Gulf states. He also reportedly oversaw a network of smugglers responsible for moving weapons from Iraq to Syria and Lebanon. An AFP correspondent observed a charred vehicle at the scene of the strike in Zahrani, with emergency workers responding to the aftermath.
The Lebanese army issued a statement on Wednesday condemning the Israeli targeting of “civilian buildings and homes” as a “blatant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty” and the ceasefire agreement, adding that such attacks “hinder the army’s efforts” to complete the disarmament plan.
The US-brokered ceasefire, reached after two months of open conflict, aimed to facilitate the return of approximately 60,000 residents of northern Israel who had been displaced by Hezbollah’s near-daily attacks, which began on October 8, 2023, following the Hamas invasion of southern israel. The agreement stipulated that both Israel and Hezbollah would withdraw from southern Lebanon, to be replaced by the Lebanese armed forces.Israel has as withdrawn from all but five strategic posts along the border.
since the ceasefire’s implementation, the IDF claims to have killed over 400 Hezbollah operatives and members of affiliated groups, struck hundreds of Hezbollah sites, and conducted over 1,200 raids and other operations in southern Lebanon. Despite these actions, Hezbollah remains under both internal and international pressure to disarm, as the organization continues to face regular Israeli strikes. The lebanese army recently announced the completion of its mission to disarm Hezbollah south of the Litani River, a claim Israel described as “encouraging” but ultimately insufficient.
