Israel escalates deadly attacks on south Lebanon
Four people have been killed by Israel in the last 24 hours, ahead of a Lebanese government session this week to discuss plans for disarming the resistance
Israel has escalated its deadly attacks on southern Lebanon, carrying out a drone strike on the morning of 4 September following massive and destructive strikes on the town of Ansariya the night before.
The attacks come as tensions are simmering across Lebanon over a government decision to disarm Hezbollah, taken in early August.
“An enemy drone dropped bombs on a prefabricated home on the outskirts of the town of Aita al-Shaab,” Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported on Thursday, adding that there were no injuries.
Four people were killed on Wednesday during a series of violent Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon. At least 17 were injured, including one child.
Video footage showed heavy destruction and fires in Ansariya late on 3 September. Israel also bombed the towns of Taybeh, Shebaa, and Yater throughout the day.
An Israeli airstrike targeted the area between the southern towns of Tayr Harfa and Al-Jbeen as well.
“The IDF recently attacked, using Air Force aircraft, a site of the Hezbollah terror organization where engineering equipment was stored. This equipment was used for the organization's rehabilitation and to advance terror routes in the area of Ansariya in southern Lebanon. Additionally, the IDF attacked a rocket launcher of the Hezbollah terror organization in the Al-Jabin area,” the Israeli army said in a statement on Wednesday night.
The Lebanese army is expected to present its disarmament plan to the government on 5 September.
Lebanese army chief Rudolphe Haikal has reportedly threatened to resign if the country’s troops are ordered to “spill Lebanese blood” by attempting to disarm the resistance movement by force.
Hezbollah has rejected the cabinet decision and continues to call for dialogue with the state on the formation of a national defense strategy that will see its arms incorporated into the Lebanese army and be available for use if the country is attacked.
The resistance movement is demanding guarantees that such a strategy will be reachable, but refuses to discuss the matter while Israel continues to attack south Lebanon and occupy several positions near the border in violation of the ceasefire.
Sources told Al-Manar TV earlier this week that if the government continues to push the disarmament policy, “this may affect Hezbollah’s cooperation [with the ceasefire deal] – even south of the Litani River.”
Israel has said it would only consider a “gradual reduction” of its forces in Lebanon if Hezbollah is disarmed first.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said Tel Aviv was willing to “support” Lebanese efforts to disarm the resistance.
Over 260 people have been killed by Israeli attacks on Lebanon since the ceasefire deal was reached last year. More than 540 have been wounded.