Beirut (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Israel hit south Lebanon with artillery and airstrikes on March 22, 2025, after Israel declared it had thwarted rockets fired from across the border. The clash endangered a shaky ceasefire that concluded a year-long war between Israel and the Lebanese armed body Hezbollah.
According to reports, the confrontation was the first since Israel effectively ended its ceasefire in the Gaza Strip with Palestinian militant group Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, both supported by Israel’s arch-foe Iran.
What triggered the latest cross-border clashes?
The Israeli military stated earlier it had intercepted three rockets fired from a Lebanese district about 6 km north of the border, marking the second cross-border rocket launch since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November concluded the fighting. Israel’s Army Radio expressed the military was retaliating by firing artillery fire. Lebanon’s state news agency stated that Israeli artillery attacked two towns in southern Lebanon with bombings on three other towns closer to the border.
Indicating a potential escalation of its response, the Israeli military declared it would “respond severely to the morning’s attack.” However, the Israeli military said the investigation into Saturday’s cross-border launches towards the northern border town of Metula.
Israel says Hezbollah is still equipped with military infrastructure in the south, while Lebanon and Hezbollah state Israel is occupying Lebanese land by continuing to conduct some airstrikes and supporting its troops at five hilltop positions near the frontier.
Is the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah at risk?
Under the November ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah was to have no arms in southern Lebanon, Israeli soldiers were to withdraw from the area, and Lebanese army troops were to deploy into the region.
The arrangement stipulates that Lebanon’s administration is responsible for disassembling the military infrastructure in southern Lebanon and commandeering all unauthorized arms. As a result of the ceasefire, Israel ended its intense bombardment and ground operations in Lebanon and Hezbollah’s daily rocket attacks on Israel. Each side, however, has blamed the other for failing to execute the agreement in full.
