Lebanese Prime Minister Rebukes Hezbollah as Israeli Airstrikes Escalate in the South

Lebanon’s prime minister publicly faulted Hezbollah on Thursday for refusing to disarm, saying the group’s arsenal is undermining the country’s recovery from last year’s war with Israel and failing to protect civilians or even its own leaders.

His comments came as Israel carried out another round of airstrikes in southern Lebanon targeting sites it says are linked to Hezbollah. The strikes follow a rare attack earlier this week in Beirut that killed a senior Hezbollah commander, and come amid mounting regional tensions including renewed operations in the West Bank and ongoing fighting in Gaza.

Prime Minister: Hezbollah’s arms are not deterring attacks

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Hezbollah’s weapons have not deterred Israeli aggression. “Deterrence means preventing the enemy from carrying out an aggression, but Israel is attacking and the weapons are not deterring it,” he said through state channels, adding that the group’s armament is doing harm to ordinary Lebanese trying to rebuild.

The United Nations has reported that at least 127 civilians, including children, have been killed in strikes in Lebanon since the ceasefire took effect about a year ago after months of heavy fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Strikes ahead of an upcoming papal visit

Israeli officials said the latest strikes dismantled launch sites and other infrastructure used to store or fire weapons. The attacks come days before Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit Lebanon; the pontiff will meet political and religious leaders in Beirut but will not travel to southern Lebanon, which suffered extensive damage during the 14-month conflict.

Escalation in the West Bank

In the northeastern West Bank, Israeli forces detained at least 119 people in and around Tubas during an operation that began Tuesday, according to Palestinian groups; authorities later released 27 detainees. The Palestinian Prisoners' Club spokesman, Abdullah al‑Zaghari, said some detainees were severely beaten, allegations the Israeli military did not immediately address, while the military characterized the operation as targeting attempts to establish militant strongholds.

Tubas Governor Ahmad Al‑Asaad said Israeli helicopters carried out airstrikes and that the area was effectively cut off by troops. The operation follows a broad West Bank offensive launched after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack that triggered the Gaza war; Israeli officials say the raids aim to root out militants, while Palestinian health authorities and rights groups say many civilians have been harmed. Recent weeks also have seen a rise in violence by Israeli settlers, which Palestinian residents say often occurs with little accountability.

Release of Palestinian-American teen

A 16-year-old Palestinian-American, identified by family members as Mohammed Ibrahim, was released after nine months in Israeli custody and taken to a hospital. Family videos show him visibly thin, his head shaved and still wearing a grey jumpsuit as relatives embraced him. His uncle, Zeyad Kadur, described signs of weight loss and scabies.

Mohammed was arrested at his family home while visiting the West Bank and was accused of throwing rocks at Israeli settlers, according to the Council on American‑Islamic Relations and several members of Congress. In an affidavit, he said he confessed after interrogators threatened him with a beating. His family and lawyers say he was held in poor conditions and lost weight while detained.

Regional implications

Analysts warn that continuing strikes, arrests and settler violence risk further destabilizing an already-fragile situation, increasing the chance that localized confrontations could reignite broader hostilities and undermine fragile ceasefires in the region.