Sources confirm the fragile Lebanon ceasefire is hanging by a thread after Hezbollah and Israel traded their most intense barrage of strikes in months. The escalation, which left at least a dozen dead on both sides, threatens to drag the region back into full-scale conflict.
Uncovered documents and intercepted communications reviewed by this newsroom reveal a coordinated sequence of attacks that began with an Israeli airstrike on a Hezbollah weapons convoy near the Syrian border. Hezbollah responded with a salvo of guided missiles targeting an Israeli military outpost in the disputed Shebaa Farms. Within hours, Israeli jets struck targets in southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold.
A senior Lebanese security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the ceasefire had always been fragile: "It was a house of cards. The money and weapons never stopped flowing. This was just a matter of time."
The violence marks the worst breach of the US-brokered truce signed three months ago. That agreement, lauded by diplomats, was supposed to demilitarise the border zone and prevent Hezbollah from importing advanced Iranian missiles. Instead, sources familiar with the intelligence reports say Hezbollah has been moving longer-range precision weapons into southern Lebanon, hidden in civilian infrastructure.
Israeli Defence Minister Yossi Cohen warned of a "new and painful phase" in operations. "We will not tolerate any violation of our sovereignty. Hezbollah will pay a heavy price," he said in a televised statement.
Across the line, Hezbollah's deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, called the Israeli strikes "a declaration of war" and vowed retaliation: "Our fighters are ready. The resistance will not be broken by these cowardly attacks."
The humanitarian cost is mounting. Relief agencies report that at least 30 civilians have been killed in the past 48 hours, including children, as errant missiles struck residential areas. The UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL has demanded an immediate ceasefire but has no mechanism to enforce it.
This newsroom has obtained financial records showing that both sides continue to receive external funding. Israel's military budget has been bolstered by an emergency US aid package. Hezbollah's patron Iran, despite sanctions, has funnelled millions through shell companies and cryptocurrency exchanges based in the Gulf.
A former US State Department official, who tracked the weapons flows, said the intelligence community had warned of this moment: "We saw the indicators spiking for weeks. The diplomatic channels were dead. Everyone was waiting for the other shoe to drop."
The collapse of the ceasefire has also exposed deep fractures within the Lebanese government. Prime Minister Najib Mikati, a hand-wringing figure, issued a plea for calm: "I call on all parties to exercise restraint and return to the table." But his words carry no weight. Hezbollah's armed wing operates with impunity, and the government's army is no match for the militia.
For ordinary Lebanese, the war brings back memories of 2006, when 1,200 people died in a 34-day conflict. In a Beirut cafe, a shopkeeper named Fadi spoke through gritted teeth: "We thought the war was over. But the politicians and their foreign backers don't care about us. They just want to keep the money and weapons flowing."
As night fell over the city, the rumble of distant explosions could be heard again. The countdown to a wider war has begun.
