Israel’s ceasefires have one salient and consistent ingredient: the relentless bombing of civilians. This is true in Gaza. And it’s true in Lebanon, where the settler-colonial state has been carrying out regular airstrikes. On 22 January, Israel strikes wounded eight journalists in the village of Qennarit.

The New Arab reported that other civilians were injured alongside the reporters:

Israeli strikes on Qennarit, in the Sidon district, wounded 19 people in total, including journalists, the ministry said.

Two of the injured were admitted to intensive care, three required hospitalisation, and 14 were treated in emergency departments.

Journalists at the scene said their injuries were caused by flying debris, while several media vehicles and pieces of equipment were damaged.

90% of Hezbollah’s capacity dismantled

Israel insists it is targeting Hezbollah, which it blamed for using “human shields”:

The infrastructures that were struck were located in the heart of a civilian population. This is another example of the cynical use by the Hezbollah terror organization of Lebanese civilians as human shields and of the organization’s activity from within civilian assets.

The Lebanese government and the UN reject Israeli claims Hezbollah is re-arming:

Both the Lebanese army and UNIFIL have rejected Israeli claims of Hezbollah rebuilding south of the Litani River.

South of the Litani River is the keyword here as it is referred to in the ceasefire agreement and the UN Security Council Resolution 1701:

security arrangements to prevent the resumption of hostilities, including the establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani River of an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL

In April 2025, the Israeli press reported a Lebanese official had said 90% of Hezbollah’s military capacity on the Lebanese/Israeli border had been dismantled:

We have dismantled over 90% of the infrastructure in the area south of the Litani.

Hezbollah withdrew and said ‘do whatever you want’… there is no longer a military [infrastructure] for Hezbollah south of the Litani [river].

The bombing has taken place north and south of the river, which is a feature of significant geopolitical importance.

Middle East Monitor explains the river:

serves as Lebanon’s primary water source. It is a lifeline for agricultural development plans for southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

But Canary contributor Mohamad Fakih points to a more ancient Israeli obsession with the Litani.

Attacks across South Lebanon

The Canary scoured Lebanese reports of Israeli attacks from 21 January 2026. Our Arabic-speaking staff translated them. They give us a snapshot of this under-reported situation and show the constant grind of Israeli attacks across the south of Lebanon:

• A drone dropped a sound bomb in the vicinity of a number of citizens in the town of Kfar Kila.
• Warplanes launched two raids on two houses in the town of Al-Kharayeb.
• Warplanes targeted a civilian house in the town of Ansar.
• Warplanes targeted a civilian house in the town of Al-Kfour.
• Warplanes targeted a civilian house in the town of Jarjou.
• Drones targeted the town of Qanarit.
• Warplanes targeted the town of Qanarit with three raids.
• Israel dropped warning leaflets on fishermen in the town of Naqoura.
• Drones targeted a station wagon in the town of Bazouriyeh.
• Drones targeted a car on the Zahrani-Mseileh road.
• Machine gun fire from Israel’s Al-Rahib position towards the outskirts of the town of Aita al-Shaab.
• Machine gun fire from the Israel’s Bayad Balida position towards the outskirts of the town of Balida.
• Israel fired a flare into the skies over the town of Kfarshouba.
• Machine gun fire from the new position in the Daouair area towards the outskirts of the towns of Houla and Markaba.

The ‘side letter’

Bear in mind, these events reportedly took place in the course of a single 24-hour period. And in an area where 90% of Hezbollah’s military capacity was reported to have been dismantled just 7 months ago. We note that Israel also claimed it had destroyed 50% of Hezbollah’s missile capabilities back in September 2024.

The ceasefire agreement mentions that Israel wants a demilitarised zone south of the Litani. The Canary reported details of the so-called ‘side letter’ from US president Donald Trump to Israel in December 2025. The document gives Israel extra latitude on top of the 2024 ceasefire agreement. You can read our article on the letter here.

Lebanon today

So where does that leave us today?

Israel is rejecting talks with Lebanon that have been ongoing for the past year and is instead escalating its attacks — both in quantity and in quality (the scale of explosions, the intensity, the reach). It has declined invitations from what has come to be known as the US-French mechanism.

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s American-backed president and American-backed prime minister are accepting every American and Israeli demand to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and disarm the resistance group. Israel, however, is snubbing diplomacy in favour of domination. It dominates the skies and never lets Lebanese civilians forget that it is always there.

Its drones are omnipresent. The Lebanese population is now accustomed to the dissonant buzz polluting the soundscape. Sometimes it becomes polyphonic, when two or more Hermes drones fly at different altitudes. Warplanes sporadically enter Lebanese airspace for routine airstrikes.

It was once believed that all Lebanon needed to do was throw Hezbollah under the bus, and peace and prosperity would follow. Now, after the government has thrown the only claim to force it had under the bus, and is performing the Birds of Paradise mating dance to try to appease the genocidal maniac that took over the neighbour’s house next door. After all taboos were broken and normalisation proposed by the highest levels of the Lebanese state. They won’t speak with them anymore.

‘For you my friend, only bombs.’

Featured image via Aljazeera

By Joe Glenton

This post was originally published on Canary.