Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire intensified sharply across Lebanon on Friday, despite mounting talk of impending negotiations, with southern regions bearing the brunt of the escalation and ground operations expanding around the town of Bint Jbeil.

The southern city of Nabatiyeh came under what residents and local media described as the heaviest assault since the outbreak of the current war. Israeli warplanes carried out a wave of strikes targeting most neighborhoods and major streets, leaving widespread destruction in their wake.

Among the hardest-hit sites was the area surrounding the government serail, where multiple buildings were damaged or destroyed, including the State Security office. The security apparatus announced that 13 of its members were killed in the strike. An AFP photographer at the scene reported extensive devastation, with fires still burning hours later, as emergency teams worked to evacuate the wounded.

The escalation continued with what was described as a “ring of fire” bombardment across several areas, including Hayy al-Bayyad, Habboush, and Kfarjoz. Additional afternoon strikes hit a wide swath of southern Lebanon, including Safad al-Battikh, Beit Yahoun, Bint Jbeil, Srifa, the Tayri area near Tyre, the outskirts of Ibl al-Saqi, the Qasmiyeh plain, as well as Kharayeb, Yahmar al-Shaqif, Shaqra, Kherbet Selm, and Ain Baal.

On the ground, Israeli forces advanced deeper into Bint Jbeil, reaching the vicinity of Salah Ghandour Hospital, in what appeared to be an effort to isolate the town and divide it into separate operational zones.

Civilian areas were also hit. In Ain Baal, a drone strike targeted a house accomodating Syrian workers, followed by artillery shelling, resulting in casualties and injuries. In the Iqlim al-Tuffah region, an airstrike on a car wash in the town of Jebaa killed at least six people, including the owner, his two sons, and three other civilians, according to local reports.

In the Hasbaya district, a man and his wife were wounded while heading to a nearby orchard close to the border and were transported to a local hospital by the Lebanese Red Cross. Strikes also resumed on the town of Mansouri, including one targeting an agricultural project.

Further raids hit the outskirts of Majadel and the entrance to the Rashidiyeh camp in the Tyre district. In Deir Qanoun Ras al-Ain, emergency vehicles belonging to the Islamic Health Authority were damaged, while in Ansariyeh, shelling destroyed the home of the late cleric Sheikh Abdel Amir Qabalan.

Elsewhere, the town of Dibbine in the Marjayoun district came under sustained artillery fire. In the Bekaa Valley, Israeli warplanes struck Sohmor in West Bekaa, as well as Douris near Baalbek, while another raid on the nearby town of Ansar left one person dead, according to official Lebanese media.

The Israeli military said its operations are aimed at dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure. It claimed that more than 1,400 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since hostilities escalated on March 2, including hundreds from the group’s elite Radwan Force. The military also said it has destroyed around 4,300 Hezbollah sites and seized more than 1,000 weapons during ground operations.

In the past 24 hours alone, the Israeli Air Force said it struck 120 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon “to remove threats to the forces.”

The army also accused Hezbollah of launching rockets from civilian infrastructure. It released drone footage it said showed a launcher being moved into a school in the southern village of Shihabiyah, describing the act as a violation of international law. The military said it subsequently targeted the site to neutralize the threat.

Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon also reported locating and destroying a prepared rocket launcher aimed at Israel, and uncovering a Hezbollah site that included a tunnel shaft and weapons such as anti-tank missiles.

Hezbollah, for its part, said it had carried out retaliatory strikes, including a missile attack targeting an Israeli naval base in Ashdod on Thursday. The Israeli military said one missile was launched and intercepted, with no casualties or damage reported. More rocket barrages were launched on Friday by the group. 

Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, in a statement broadcast on Al-Manar TV, called on the Lebanese government to stop what he described as “free concessions” to Israel ahead of expected negotiations in Washington next week. 

Despite the ongoing violence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intends to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible,” with the stated aim of disarming Hezbollah and reaching a broader peace agreement between the two countries.