A foot patrol from the French contingent of UNIFIL’s reserve force came under fire on Saturday from an Israeli military position at Wadi Qatmoun, near the town of Rmeish. The French soldiers had been inspecting an earth berm recently built by Israeli forces in the area when the incident occurred.
UNIFIL later issued a statement, saying that the Israeli army “fired warning shots at UN peacekeeping soldiers during a patrol near the border town of Rmeish”. “This incident is considered a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701,” it added.
Earlier that day, an Israeli helicopter dropped two stun grenades towards residents gathered in the town square of Yaroun in the Bint Jbeil district.
In another incident, heavy machine-gun fire from an Israeli position struck the eastern neighborhood of Kfarchouba, damaging several cars and homes.
Israeli military activity was also visible in the skies, with fighter jets breaking the sound barrier in two waves over the western Beqaa region. The resulting detonations were heard as far away as the Chouf and Aley regions.
In response, the Lebanese Army intensified its operations. Between Friday night and Saturday, military intelligence conducted nighttime raids in the southern and western Beqaa in search of individuals suspected of firing rockets from southern Lebanon. Investigations remain ongoing.
General Haykal Visits Southern Lebanon
Meanwhile, the Commander-in-Chief of the Lebanese Army, General Rodolphe Haykal, visited the southern Litani sector command at the Benoît Barakat barracks in Tyre. During his visit, he met with officers and soldiers, emphasizing the Army's duty to protect Lebanon and its people, regardless of their affiliations.
“The Army is making significant efforts to carry out its missions in the South, as confirmed by UNIFIL leadership and the five-member committee tasked with overseeing the ceasefire agreement,” General Haykal stated.
He stressed the Army's commitment to implementing Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire agreement without delay, following the directives of President General Joseph Aoun and Lebanon’s government policies. He also highlighted the Army’s ongoing cooperation, coordination and joint missions with UNIFIL.
In Beirut, tensions remain high in the southern suburbs following Israeli airstrikes — the first since the ceasefire agreement. This period of uneasy calm was disrupted by Israeli drones flying at very low altitudes over the Lebanese capital and its suburbs, including Bchamoun, Aramoun, Khaldeh, Choueifat and surrounding areas.
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