One killed, two injured in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon
BEIRUT: One person was killed and two others were wounded in an Israeli army attack on the Lebanese border village of Rab al-Thalathin on Thursday, amid growing concerns of a conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
Hezbollah said it fired anti-aircraft missiles after Israeli warplanes entered Lebanese airspace in the south, forcing them to withdraw.
It comes after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his report on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 between February 21 and June 20 this year, warned against the “expansion of a catastrophic war on both sides of the Blue Line”.
Resolution 1701, passed in 2006 with the aim of ending the war between Israel and Hezbollah, called for an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, and the disarmament of non-state armed groups, including Hezbollah.
In his latest report, Guterres highlighted the ongoing confrontation in southern Lebanon and said he was “deeply concerned by the repeated violations of the cessation of hostilities across the Blue Line from October 8, 2023.”
He warned that “the cycle of escalation between Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups in Lebanon and the Israel Defense Forces will seriously affect civilians on both sides of the Blue Line and pose a serious threat to the stability of Lebanon, Israel and the Israeli region,” and that “the intensity of the exchange of fire And the geographic expansion, coupled with increasingly bellicose rhetoric and threats of all-out war, is deeply troubling.”
The UN chief called on both sides to “immediately recommit to the full implementation of Resolution 1701, to immediately return to the end of hostilities and to use all diplomatic means, including the good offices of the United Nations, to avoid further suffering and widespread risk. , devastating conflagration.”
“The exchange of fire shows the possession of arms outside the state's authority … by Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups, in violation of Resolution 1701,” he said, urging the Lebanese government to take all actions “necessary to ensure that there is no arms or authority in Lebanon other than the state of Lebanon. Otherwise, it requires the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon “through the full implementation of existing agreements and United Nations resolutions.”
Guterres again condemned “all violations of Lebanese sovereignty by Israel” and called on Israeli authorities to “cease all overflights of Lebanese territory”.
He also called on Lebanon's political leaders to “take firm steps to address the political, economic and security needs facing the country in the run-up to the presidential election.”
The presidency has been vacant since October 2022, when Michel Aoun's term ended, as the country's political factions failed to agree on a successor.
Guterres said the ability of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon “to carry out its operational activities as needed is more important than ever”, but warned that restrictions on the force's freedom of movement were “a matter of great concern”. He called on the Lebanese government to “address such incidents”.
Meanwhile, Israeli artillery shelled the outskirts of Kefarchouba village on Thursday morning while members of the Civil Defense were trying to put out a fire caused by an earlier attack on the area in the early hours of the morning. No one was injured but civil defense crews had to halt efforts to put out the fire. An Israeli combat drone launched a guided missile that targeted the same area.
The outskirts of Aitaroun also came under artillery fire, which led to fires, as did areas around the town of Nakoura. And Israeli forces targeted areas around the town of Mes al-Jabal with incendiary phosphorus bombs. Although such weapons are not banned under international humanitarian law, conventions greatly restrict their use in populated civilian areas.
Also on Thursday, Hezbollah said it attacked and struck a building used by Israeli soldiers in the Manara settlement in response to Wednesday's attack in Kafarham. The group said it also targeted military buildings in Shtula, targets in Hanita and “spy equipment at the Birkat Risha site.”
Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adrai said the army carried out raids against “Hezbollah targets and targeted military buildings”.
