Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Friday have resulted in the deaths of two people and injuries to eleven others, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health, marking the latest escalation despite an ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Details of the Attacks
- The ministry reported that an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle outside a public hospital in Tibnin killed one person and wounded eleven.
- Another strike targeting a vehicle in Ansar killed an additional individual.
Israeli Military Statements
- The Israeli army claimed responsibility for the killing of Ammar Hayel Qutaybani, alleging he was a Hezbollah commander, though the precise location was not disclosed.
- It further reported that it killed a member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force in Tibnin and struck a vessel used for intelligence gathering on Israeli troops in Naqura, a southern Lebanese town.
Context of Recent Attacks
- These strikes follow Thursday’s bombing of five towns that Israel had previously warned residents to evacuate.
- The Israeli military stated that it targeted weapons storage facilities belonging to Hezbollah’s Radwan force during these operations.
Reactions
- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the attacks, criticising the “silence of the countries who had sponsored” the ceasefire, which he argued “encourages further aggression.” He called for an immediate end to the violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty.
- UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon warned that the strikes jeopardise the fragile stability established since November last year, urging Israel to refrain from further attacks and fully withdraw from Lebanese territory.
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