Beirut: The head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Lebanese Parliament, MP Fadi Alama, revealed that “the number of attacks in South Lebanon has exceeded 5,736 as of July 15, including 538 martyrs and 1,850 wounded.”
The Foreign Affairs Committee met with several ambassadors from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Britain and Canada on Wednesday to present the results of the ongoing Israeli offensive in southern Lebanon as part of preparations for the “government's work in the post-ceasefire phase”. .”
MP Allama said, “When we said that 1,800 hectares were deliberately burned by the Israeli enemy, diplomatic missions and representatives of international organizations were shocked. They are also surprised by the number of targeted schools and the number of students who are unable to complete their studies and move elsewhere. In addition, they were informed about 28,000 new families displaced from targeted areas daily. “
The MP said that it is necessary for the government to make plans and roadmaps as soon as possible.
MP Wael Abu Four, a member of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, said, “The human, health, urban, agricultural and environmental damage caused by the Israeli attack has been enormous. Preliminary estimates from Lebanese organizations indicate a cost so far of about two billion dollars, in addition to other damages and losses.
Abu Faur said: “This is a new challenge for the Lebanese state that must be faced in Lebanon's Arab and international relations. The state is bankrupt and unable to bear such responsibilities, but at the same time, it has no conflicting local opinion regarding the possibility of war or its justification between some parties. One cannot abdicate one's responsibility to one's citizens regardless of one's political views.”
Hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces continued on Wednesday. According to Israeli media, “43 settlements were evacuated in the north, (and) more than 1,500 buildings, cars and infrastructure were damaged in the north. In addition, six industrial areas were affected, and hundreds of businesses were forced to close due to Hezbollah strikes.”
Israel targeted the towns of Kafr Shuba, Tire Harfa and Hula on Wednesday with airstrikes and artillery fire. The attack also targeted and destroyed a house in the town of Kefar Hammam. This small village is located in the eastern part of Nabatieh Governorate in Hasbaya District.
Hezbollah released a new video recorded by a Hudhud drone inside Israel, showing footage from inside the Ramat David air base, about 50 kilometers from the Lebanese border.
According to Hezbollah, “the footage was captured using a drone on Tuesday.”
A new eight-minute video released by Hezbollah shows several sensitive areas inside the base, including airplane fuel tanks, the headquarters of Squadron 109, the Iron Dome missile defense platform, and ammunition depots. It also reveals the locations of Squadron 157 and Squadron 105 headquarters. Hezbollah included an image of the base commander's office, revealing intricate details of the facility.
This is not the first time Hezbollah has adopted such a strategy. Earlier, the group broadcast aerial footage of key installations captured by similar unmanned aerial vehicles in Haifa and the Golan Heights.
Israeli media reacted strongly, with one outlet saying: “For more than eight minutes of Hezbollah videos to expose our weakness is outrageous.”
However, the Israeli military denied the incident, claiming that the footage was captured by a drone designed for photography only and did not affect base operations.
A Hezbollah source linked the timing of the video's release to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington.
Amidst these developments, the Israeli army announced on Wednesday that its “reserve brigade has completed an exercise simulating war scenarios in Lebanon.”
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gavir expressed support for a comprehensive war against Hezbollah, saying, “The sooner, the better.”
However, Israel's ambassador to Russia, Simona Halperin, said that while Tel Aviv is prepared for a military confrontation with Lebanon, it prefers a diplomatic solution.
She said Israel was not interested in a large-scale war. “We cannot rule out a scenario where Israel could be forced to engage in a wider war on the northern front,” he added.
Along with Israel's declaration of war, the Canadian Embassy in Lebanon issued new advice to its citizens.
It called on “Canadians, permanent residents, their spouses, and dependent children to follow travel advisories and leave the country when commercial flights are available.”
The embassy has focused its attention on helping individuals obtain the necessary travel documents and keeping families together in the process.
The increase comes after thousands of Lebanese expatriates with dual citizenship from Canada, the US and Europe arrived in Lebanon during the summer holidays.
