An additional Israeli raid pounded the southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday following several Israeli warnings followed by mock raids.
In parallel, the Lebanese Army (LAF) blocked the roads leading to all Qard al-Hassan branches in the capital Beirut and Saida following latest warnings by the Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee. Adraee had announced that the IDF intends to attack the Hezbollah financing institution across Lebanon.
Adraee had warned that “in the coming hours, we will act forcefully against the infrastructure of the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association, which constitutes a central element in financing the party’s activities and harms the Lebanese economy in service of Iranian interests.”
The Israeli army had also called on residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate their homes. Displacement movements were reported in several areas around Al-Qard Al-Hassan branches.
Dahiye
At dawn Monday, powerful explosions were heard in Beirut’s southern suburbs after Israeli warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes targeting the area without any prior warning. The strikes targeted the vicinity of the Americans–Saint Thérèse neighborhood in the Sfeir area, as well as the area between Ghobeiry and Haret Hreik.
At the same time, intensive flights by Israeli warplanes were recorded over Beirut and Mount Lebanon during the bombardment.
In a brief statement, the Israeli army said its forces “struck infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Beirut.”
The IDF had also appealed to the residents of the southern suburbs, stating that “the Hezbollah terrorist organization has dragged you into a war on behalf of the weak Iranian regime and is making you pay the price.”
Israeli warplanes also carried out raids Monday morning on the towns of Srifa and Yater, and the outskirts of the town of Shebaa.
The Emergency Operations Center of the Public Health Ministry issued a statement announcing that Israeli enemy airstrikes targeting the town of Tayr Debba in the Tyre district resulted, in a preliminary toll, in the death of three citizens and the injury of 15 others. Rescue operations and the removal of rubble are still ongoing.
Hezbollah
Hezbollah said in statements that it twice targeted “a force belonging to the Israeli enemy army advancing toward Khallat al-Mahafir in the border town of Odaisseh,” in addition to targeting an Israeli force twice as it advanced toward the town of Aitaroun.
It also said that “after targeting the Israeli force infiltrating toward the border town of Odaisseh with rocket salvos, it engaged it with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, forcing it to retreat to Khallat al-Mahafir.”
Additionally, Hezbollah also announced that it targeted the city of Kiryat Shmona with a rocket barrage.
It further said it targeted “a group” of Israeli enemy army vehicles and soldiers in Khallat al-Mahafir in the outskirts of the border town of Odaisseh.
Israeli Landing Operation
Sunday night, the Israeli army carried out a new landing operation in the eastern chain.
Two days after landing in Nabi Shith in the Bekaa Valley, it repeated the operation on Sunday using 15 helicopters from the Syrian side. The helicopters flew over the eastern mountain range, specifically over the villages of Janta, Yafoufa, Nabi Shith, Arsal, and Ras Baalbek, where a number of them landed infantry forces in the Serghaya plain, which were spotted advancing towards Lebanese territory.
Comments