Israel Strikes Beirut’s Southern Suburb in Another Ceasefire Violation
Beirut (Quds News Betwork)- Israeli warplanes bombed Beirut’s southern suburb for the first time since a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel took effect in November. The assault is another Israeli violation of the ceasefire.
The Israeli army claimed the airstrike targeted a Hezbollah drone storage facility.
Hezbollah denied any involvement in the rocket attacks and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire. The resistance group stressed that Israel uses the incident as a false pretext to escalate its aggression against Lebanon.
Before the strike, Israel carried out three threatening raids on the targeted building, prompting residents to evacuate. Lebanon’s Ministry of Education ordered schools in the area to close due to security threats.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that an Israeli airstrike on the southern town of Kfar Tibnit killed three people and injured 18 others.
Israeli artillery bombarded several southern towns, including Yahmor, Zawtar, Kafr Sir, Taybeh, Houla, and Markeh. The military also fired incendiary shells at Khiam and launched airstrikes on Jabal Rihan in the Iqlim al-Tuffah region.
The Lebanese army said it identified the location of the rocket launches in the Qa‘qa‘iyat al-Jisr area, north of the Litani River, and launched an investigation. It stated that Israel escalated attacks under the pretext of the rocket fire and vowed to continue monitoring the situation along the southern border.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the Israeli attack on Beirut’s southern suburb as a “dangerous escalation” and demanded an end to Israeli violations. He reiterated that Lebanon remains committed to the ceasefire and U.N. Resolution 1701, emphasizing that only the Lebanese army is responsible for border security.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Idrael Katz threatened that if the Lebanese government fails to enforce the ceasefire agreement on its side of the border, “Israel will enforce it itself.”
Despite the ongoing ceasefire, Israel continues its assaults in southern Lebanon. Israel has also refused to complete its withdrawal from Lebanese territory, maintaining control over five strategic hills it occupied during the recent conflict.
