At least one person was killed and 13 injured as Israel stepped up attacks on Lebanon. Photo by EPA/STR
Israel escalated on Friday its attacks on suspected Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, launching a series of air and drone strikes that hit mountainous areas and an apartment building.
One woman was killed and 13 wounded in the attacks, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
The official Lebanese news agency reported that Israeli jets carried out “wide and intense” air strikes on several hilltop locations in the Nabatieh district, using bunker buster bombs and causing massive explosions.
Shortly after, an Israeli drone attacked an apartment building in the nearby city of Nabatieh, hitting and badly damaging the top floor where a woman was killed. Thirteen people were also injured in the attack.
While ambulances rushed to the targeted sites, Israeli warplanes carried out a second round of bombing. Residents in Nabatieh reported a series of ongoing explosions as thick black smoke billowed into the sky.
Initial security reports counted a total of 20 Israeli strikes launched on the area today.
The Israeli Army confirmed that its Air Force jets struck a site in southern Lebanon used for “managing Hezbollah’s fire and defense systems,” according to Israeli English-language websites.
Ynet quoted an Israeli Army spokesman as saying that the targeted site was” part of an underground project that was rendered unusable” by previous Israeli strikes.
The spokesman said the site was attacked again Friday after the Israeli Army spotted attempts by Hezbollah to rehabilitate it “in blatant violation of the understanding between Israel and Lebanon.”
There was no immediate comment by Hezbollah on the Israeli claims.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned Israel’s continued violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and the Nov. 27 cease-fire agreement that ended 14 months of Israel-Hezbollah destructive war.
Aoun accused Israel of “disregarding international resolutions” and all regional and international calls to “stop the violence and escalation in the region.”
He called on the international community to take “effective action” and end Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon.
Israel, which refused to fully withdraw and retained five strategic positions inside south Lebanon, has kept on striking the southern region and other Lebanese areas since the cease-fire accord was achieved, killing dozens of Hezbollah field commanders and hitting suspected positions.
Lebanon has been trying to consolidate its authority and regain its long-lost sovereignty following Israel’s recent war that greatly weakened the once-powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah.
In line with the cease-fire agreement that was brokered by the United States and France, the Lebanese Army has taken control of most of Hezbollah’s positions and military facilities, pushing the militant group away from the border with Israel and preventing it from having a military presence south of the Litani River.
Aoun has also initiated a one-to-one dialogue with Hezbollah to discuss ways of securing its total disarmament per the cease-fire terms.
The Hezbollah-Israel war has killed or wounded more than 20,000 people since October 2023, when it started in support of Gaza. The Israelis’ relentless strikes and bombardment caused widespread destruction estimated by the World Bank at $11 billion.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry sent a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, requesting to renew the mandate of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, which is to expire on Aug. 31, for a year.
The ministry confirmed in a statement released on Friday “Lebanon’s commitment to the continued presence of UNIFIL and its cooperation with it,” demanding Israel to withdraw from all Lebanese territories it occupies and stop its ongoing violations.
Lebanon’s request came amid Israeli reports that U.S. officials are considering pulling Washington’s support from UNIFIL in a bid to cut costs associated with its operations, and that Israel was backing ending its operations in south Lebanon.
