TEHRAN – Despite the so-called ceasefire agreement, the Israeli regime has intensified its attacks on southern Lebanon, killing at least 30 people, including women and children.
Reporters on the ground in southern Lebanon have said that seven civilians were killed in a single strike carried out by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on the town of Doueir.
According to Lebanese media, IOF attacks have killed several civilians and injured others, with many airstrikes reported in towns across the Nabatieh municipality and its surrounding communities.
Since the early hours of Friday, IOF warplanes have launched heavy airstrikes targeting the towns of Arabsalim, Kaouthariyet El Saiyad, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Touline, Kfar Tebnit, and Aaichiyeh.
Additional strikes hit the towns of Blat, Jabal al-Rafii, Sajd, the outskirts of Deir al-Zahrani, Habboush, Toul, Jbour, and Jibchit.
IOF artillery also shelled the towns of Bani Hayyan, Srifa, Qlaileh, and Zebdine.
In the east, reporters on the ground said that three civilians were killed and five others wounded from IOF airstrikes around the city of Baalbek.
An airstrike hit the Tal al-Abyad area at the northern entrance to Baalbek, while an IOF drone strike targeted the outskirts of the city on Friday. Another town in the Baalbek district was also struck.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that one civilian was killed and another wounded in a drone strike in the Jezzine area. An IOF strike on the Deir al-Zahrani road in southern Lebanon killed one person and injured another.
The IOF aggression also stretched to the Litani River channel near the western Bekaa.
The timing of the latest escalation is particularly notable, coming just as a new round of talks was set to begin under a recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States aimed at ending hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon.
For the occupying regime’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the IOF’s renewed aggression comes at a critical juncture.
Netanyahu has consistently opposed diplomatic initiatives that could restrict IOF aggression, the withdrawal of occupying forces, or pave the way for a broader regional de-escalation.
Many experts had warned that Netanyahu would seek to obstruct any U.S.-Iran agreement before it could gain momentum. Reports now suggest that Iran has postponed the opening round of talks with the United States following the mutual signing of the MoU in light of the latest escalation in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, on Friday, the IOF announced the deaths of four troops, including Battalion 52 commander Lt. Col. Dor Gdalia Ben Simhon and three additional soldiers in southern Lebanon.
According to Israel’s Channel 14, citing a preliminary investigation, the “incident” occurred after a “suspicious target” struck a tank belonging to Battalion 52, which was operating with the Givati Brigade combat force in the area of Nabatieh.
Around 30 IOF troops have been killed by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon since the “ceasefire” was announced in April.
Ben Simhon had assumed command of Battalion 52 only a few weeks earlier, replacing the previous commander, who was seriously wounded during fighting in southern Lebanon about two months ago.
In addition to Hezbollah’s operation that killed four troops, including a battalion commander, Israeli media outlets reported that five more soldiers were injured, including one officer in critical condition, after a commando unit was struck by an explosive drone in the same area.
Southern Lebanon witnessed intense and sustained ground clashes around Nabatieh between the IOF and Hezbollah after the Lebanese resistance confronted occupying forces trying to advance toward the Ali al-Taher Heights.
Hezbollah announced that it had repelled attempts by the IOF to advance toward Kfartebnit and the Ali al-Taher Heights, inflicting losses on enemy forces.
In a statement, the resistance operations room said the IOF had been attempting for four days to advance toward Kfar Tebnit and the Ali al-Taher Heights in Nabatieh from several directions under heavy artillery cover and intensive aerial surveillance.
Hebrew-language media outlets admitted that the IOF failed to capture the Ali al-Taher Heights. The reports stated that numerous tanks were damaged during the invasion and that evacuation operations were underway for wounded IOF troops following anti-tank missile attacks and drone strikes.
They also described the fighting in the area as one of the most intense since early March, noting that several IOF soldiers were killed and a very large number wounded.
Hezbollah stated that all IOF infantry attempts to advance were repelled by targeting troop movements and concentrations with missiles, drones, and loitering attack aircraft, causing significant losses among officers, soldiers, and military vehicles. It added that the IOF was forced to retreat and use helicopters under artillery and smoke cover to evacuate casualties during the night.
The Lebanese resistance confirmed that the IOF remains on the southern outskirts of Kfar Tebnit, stressing that the Kfar Tebnit – Ali Al-Taher area will remain “impenetrable to enemy incursion.”
It concluded by saying that resistance fighters there will “write epic battles of Karbala in defense of their country and people.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: tehrantimes.com
