Residents of the southern Lebanese village of Tayr Debba woke up on Friday to the scenes of a destroyed home hours after Israeli airstrikes hit three towns in the region close to the border with Israel.

The strikes on Tayr Debba and other villages marked an escalation in near-daily attacks and came after residents were urged to evacuate.

Resident Mustafa Zidan was told a neighbouring property to his home was a “terrorist” house.

“I wasn’t home at the time; I came later and found that the house had been hit by an airstrike. As you can see, the damage is severe, a heavy strike,” he told The Associated Press.

The airstrikes followed a statement from Hezbollah urging the Lebanese government not to enter negotiations aimed at easing tensions.

The Israeli military say they targeted military infrastructure for Hezbollah in those areas, and for months have said the group is rebuilding its capabilities almost a year after a US-brokered ceasefire went into effect that ended monthslong war.

Thursday's strikes come as Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and his government are meeting in Beirut to follow up on a plan to disarm Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups in the country drafted by the Lebanese military.

Israel said its near-daily strikes have targeted Hezbollah officials and military infrastructure, while the Lebanese government that has backed disarming Hezbollah say the strikes have targeted civilians and infrastructure unrelated to the Iran-backed group.

Hezbollah issued a statement hours ago warning the Lebanese government to not enter any form of negotiations with Israel as near-daily strikes continue in southern Lebanon.

The powerful group’s military capabilities were severely damaged in Israel’s intense air campaign over the tiny country in 2024, but Hezbollah have yet to disarm.

Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, which nominally ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war last November.

The conflict started after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.

AP video by Imad Hadad