Updated 8/1/2025 12:50 PM EST
Israel looked to be dramatically escalating the number and intensity of airstrikes it is carrying out against Lebanon today, with at least seven strikes reported in the northeast area around Bekaa Valley and Baalbek, as well as a number of other strikes reported against southern Lebanon.
Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed the Bekaa Valley strikes targeted Hezbollah’s “biggest precision missile site” and associated infrastructure. Strikes in the area were also reported in the Baalbek District.
Elsewhere in the east, strikes targeted Brital as well as the border town of Janta along the Syrian border. Further to the south, attacks were reported in the Jezzine District, and also hit the town of Nasariyah. At least four people were reported killed in the strikes, though the toll may rise further.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called for Hezbollah’s full disarmament, in keeping with the ongoing US demands to unconditionally disarm them. He suggested that the lack of disarmament gave Israel a pretext to continue attacking, even though the US envoy already made clear they have no intention of calling for Israel to stop attacking even if Lebanon gives in to all demands.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem once again rejected the call to unilaterally disarm, saying the calls amount to a demand to submit to Israel, which they have no intention of doing. Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected disarmament while Israel continues to attack and continues to occupy Lebanese territory, though that hasn’t stopped ongoing US demands to do so anyway.
The IDF claimed that most of the sites they attacked today were “underground” and therefore it’s probably impossible to know what, if anything, was actually hit or destroyed. They claimed Hezbollah was in the process of restoring the sites, but offered no evidence that this was the case.
