Beirut, Lebanon – On Saturday, the Israeli army intensified its airstrikes and concentrated artillery shelling across wide and scattered areas of southern Lebanon. It also targeted a number of strategic villages and towns in the Nabatieh and Tyre governorates, amid escalating tensions on the ground.
A series of airstrikes and artillery shelling
Field reports indicated that heavy Israeli artillery shelling targeted the outskirts of the towns of Kfar Tebnit, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, and Harouf. The escalation was not limited to artillery fire; Israeli fighter jets and drones launched a series of airstrikes targeting the outskirts of the towns of Kfar and Haddatha. Additionally, Nabatieh al-Fawqa was subjected to three drone strikes during the day.
The air operations also targeted the towns of Burj Rahal and Mansouri in the Tyre district. Additionally, strikes hit the town of Arnoun and the outskirts of Nabatieh. The target list also included the towns of Kfar Remman and Majdal Selm, culminating in later raids that targeted the towns of Arzoun and Jannata. This resulted in widespread destruction of the targeted infrastructure.
Urgent evacuation warnings
Simultaneously with these strikes, the Israeli army issued an urgent evacuation warning on Saturday morning to residents of nine southern towns, ordering them to move at least one kilometer away from the targeted sites. The warning included residents of: Tayr Debba, Al-Abbasiya, Burj Rahal, Ma’roub, Barish, Arzoun, Jannata, Al-Zarariya, and Ain Baal. This threat came amidst ongoing aerial operations that had continued unabated since the early morning hours.
“ceasefire violations”
In an official statement, the Israeli army justified these extensive operations as being “in light of Hezbollah’s violations of the ceasefire agreement.” The statement confirmed that more than 85 Hezbollah infrastructure sites in various parts of Lebanon had been attacked in the past 24 hours. The statement also emphasized that the attacks aimed to neutralize what it described as imminent threats and re-establish the rules of engagement.
This escalation further exacerbates the already fragile security situation along the border. It comes amid fears of a collapse of local agreements and a widening of the confrontation to encompass deeper areas in southern Lebanon.
