A sudden spike in violence was recorded between Thursday and Friday in South Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, where the Israeli army carried out a series of air raids targeting Hezbollah positions, according to its spokesperson.
The escalation comes as municipal elections are scheduled to be held in South Lebanon on Saturday and just three days before the arrival in Beirut of Morgan Ortagus, the US Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East.
At dawn on Friday, Israeli aircraft conducted two precision strikes on Hezbollah facilities on the outskirts of Deir Antar (Bint Jbeil) and in Chamaa (Tyre).
Meanwhile, Israeli drones were observed early in the morning flying at low altitude over the eastern mountain range of the Beqaa Valley.
Though Friday seems tense, Thursday was far from peaceful as well. In the village of Toul, in the Nabatiyeh district, the Israeli army targeted a building after issuing an evacuation warning.
A mass exodus was reported from the targeted area following a call by Arabic-language Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee, urging residents to evacuate.
Adraee posted the warning on his official X (formerly Twitter) account. He called on everyone in the building marked in red on a map he shared – as well as those in surrounding structures – to leave “without delay.” The spokesperson warned they were “in proximity to Hezbollah-affiliated installations.”
Gunfire was soon heard in the village, underscoring the urgency for residents to flee the area. Less than an hour later, Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes on the designated building.
In a follow-up post, Adraee stated that the destroyed building “was a military site housing Hezbollah rocket launchers and weapons.”
According to him, the strikes were carried out “after Hezbollah activity was detected at the site.”
“The Israeli army also targeted terrorist infrastructure, rocket launchers and missiles belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon,” he added.
Adraee emphasized that “the presence of weapons and Hezbollah activity at these sites constitutes a blatant violation of agreements between Israel and Lebanon.” He reaffirmed that Tel Aviv “will continue to act to eliminate any threat to the State of Israel and will prevent any attempt by Hezbollah to establish a foothold in the region.”
Shortly afterward, a new wave of raids struck Touline and Sawaneh in Bint Jbeil district, the heights of Rihane and Borghoz Valley in Hasbaya district, Zebqine, Hanniyeh, Mahmoudiyeh, Chamaa and Aaziyé Valley in Tyre district, as well as areas in Iqlim al-Tuffah and the Beqaa, where Bouday Heights were targeted.
On Thursday evening, Hezbollah issued a statement from its Secretary-General Naim Qassem, urging South Lebanon residents to turn out in large numbers for Saturday’s municipal elections. The statement made no mention of the Israeli airstrikes.
The attacks were condemned by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who denounced Israel’s repeated aggressions against Lebanon, insisting that this surge in violence “will not affect the state's commitment to uphold the electoral timeline and to protect Lebanon.”
He called on the international community to increase pressure on Israel to “immediately halt its aggressions and proceed with a full withdrawal from Lebanon, in line with the ceasefire agreement and UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”
Israeli Aggressions and the Municipal Vote
In this context, a statement allegedly attributed to the Deputy Minister of Interior and Municipalities was relayed by Al Jadeed TV channel concerning the Israeli attacks and the holding of municipal and mukhtar elections scheduled for Saturday.
The ministry swiftly denied any such statement by Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar or his spokesperson, describing the claims as “completely unfounded.”
The Minister of Interior also strongly condemned the Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory. He reiterated the state's commitment to holding the municipal and local elections in the mohafazats of South Lebanon and Nabatiyeh as scheduled, stressing that this is a vital step in asserting Lebanese sovereignty over all of its territory.
Comments