Israel launches fresh air strikes on Lebanon despite Trump's criticism

The BBC's Beirut bureau reported that the strikes targeted suspected weapons storage sites in the Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts. Lebanon's health ministry said three civilians had been killed and eight wounded. The Israeli Defence Forces said the targets formed part of "Hezbollah's rearmament infrastructure."

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said Washington was urging restraint to avoid "unilateral actions that could strain the fragile framework reached with Iran." White House officials said the president had spoken twice directly with the Netanyahu government over the past 48 hours. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded on social media that no "external actor will dictate the cabinet's security decisions."

The Lebanese army renewed warnings that the UN observer mission UNIFIL, which monitors the Hezbollah pullback north of the Litani river, has its mandate expiring at the end of the month. AFP reported that France has drafted a Security Council text seeking a temporary extension until September 2026. In the area hit by the strikes, streets were emptied and families were seen moving north toward the Tyre coast.