BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday condemned Israel’s latest strikes on his country, saying they undermine efforts to prevent escalation.

Aoun’s criticism came after Israel launched a series of strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday, saying it hit Hezbollah and Hamas terror group targets.

The attacks began with strikes on four villages where Israel had issued evacuation warnings, though later bombing, including a strike in the early hours of Tuesday, came without prior notice.

Later Tuesday, after Aoun’s statement, the Israel Defense Forces said it carried out another strike on Hezbollah operatives in the area of southern Lebanon’s Khirbet Selm in response to the terror group’s “continued violations of the ceasefire understandings.”

The IDF confirmed that two people reported killed by Lebanese media were Hezbollah operatives.

According to the IDF, the pair were involved in efforts to rehabilitate Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, with one of the operatives identified as an engineering specialist leading the group’s reconstruction activities.

Earlier, Lebanese media also said one person was seriously injured in the attack.

In his statement, Aoun said that “Israel’s continued attacks aim to thwart all efforts made locally, regionally and internationally to stop the ongoing Israeli escalation, despite the response shown by Lebanon to these efforts at various levels.”

Despite a year-old ceasefire........

© The Times of Israel