Israeli occupation forces escalate targeting civilians in southern Lebanon
Israeli forces have continued their military escalation in southern Lebanon, targeting populated areas and towns with airstrikes, artillery shelling, house demolitions, and gunfire. It is feared that these clashes could undermine the negotiation process and the framework agreement sponsored by the US. The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that the final death toll from the … The post Israeli…
Israeli forces have intensified their military actions in southern Lebanon, launching airstrikes, artillery shelling, and house demolitions in populated areas. The conflict, which has raised concerns about undermining the negotiation process and the US-sponsored framework agreement, has led to numerous casualties and injuries. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, an Israeli airstrike in the town of Ansar resulted in the deaths of seven people, including three children and two women, with two others injured.
Another airstrike in Deir al-Zahrani claimed the lives of four individuals, with 17 injured, including a child and 11 women. The death toll from these strikes totals 11 people, with 19 others injured.
The violence began on Saturday morning when Israeli warplanes bombed the Al-Taher hill near Nabatieh al-Fawqa, followed by additional airstrikes on the Teachers' Training College, Husseiniya, and the valley between Ansar and Zrarieh. The escalation continued on Sunday, with further airstrikes in southern Lebanon and intensive overflights by warplanes and drones.
Lebanese media reported hearing gunfire near the Al-Taher hills, as Israeli forces attempted to approach the area and displaced individuals fled from Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Ansar.
In Bint Jbeil and surrounding villages, Israeli occupation forces demolished homes and fired heavy machine guns at houses along the Kounine-Saf al-Hawa road, following a raid in the al-Mashaa neighborhood of al-Mansouri. On Saturday, the Israeli army announced the assassination of a commander they identified as Abu-Hassan Alaa, describing him as a prominent leader in the Badr Brigade.
In response, Hezbollah blamed Israel and the US for the escalation, accusing Washington of providing "support and cover" for Israeli operations. Hezbollah urged Lebanese authorities to reassess their position and cease reliance on negotiations and American mediation.
Former Lebanese minister Faisal Karami, speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm, stated that these incidents are not isolated military operations but part of a long-term Israeli strategy aimed at killing civilians, destroying homes, and making some towns uninhabitable. Karami suggested that internal political calculations in Israel may be influencing the escalation, particularly as Israeli elections approach and security concerns take priority.
He warned that Lebanon is no longer separate from the regional conflict, asserting that Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and oil are interconnected elements in a single struggle, with any escalation in the south potentially affecting oil markets. Karami called on Iran to maintain Lebanon as a separate entity in its regional calculations and urged the return of Lebanon's relationship with Tehran to a state-to-state basis, allowing the Lebanese people to determine their own future without interference from regional conflicts.
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