Israel launched a series of fresh airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Friday, January 9, 2026, targeting infrastructure belonging to the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. The Israeli military confirmed these operations, stating they hit "weapons storage facilities and a weapons production site" along with "several launch sites, rocket launchers and military structures" used for Hezbollah's military build-up. These strikes come in the wake of the Lebanese army's announcement a day prior that it had successfully completed the first phase of its plan to disarm Hezbollah in the country's south, specifically in the area between the Israeli border and the Litani River. However, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office swiftly responded, calling Lebanon's disarmament efforts an "encouraging beginning but insufficient." Israel maintains that extensive Hezbollah military infrastructure still exists south of the Litani River and accuses the group of continuing to rearm with Iranian support, thereby violating the understandings of a ceasefire agreement. The ceasefire, brokered in November 2024 after more than a year of hostilities, required Hezbollah to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River and dismantle its military infrastructure in evacuated areas. Despite this, Israel has continued regular strikes in Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah sites and operatives, and has maintained troops in strategic areas of southern Lebanon. Lebanese authorities, while committed to disarmament under international pressure, particularly from the United States, have rejected Israeli claims of rearming. They argue that continued Israeli strikes violate the ceasefire and complicate the Lebanese army's efforts to stabilize the south. Lebanon's Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi even urged his Iranian counterpart to find a "new approach" to the issue of Hezbollah's weapons, emphasizing that Lebanon's defense is solely the responsibility of the Lebanese state. No casualties were immediately reported from the recent strikes.