Beirut, Lebanon – In a dangerous and alarming escalation that threatens to undermine the fragile truce, the Israeli army continued its widespread and persistent violations of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. Early Saturday morning, it launched a series of intense airstrikes targeting deep within the Nabatieh and Ansar regions of southern Lebanon. These attacks resulted in civilian casualties and widespread destruction of infrastructure and property.
A bloody massacre in Ansar and the complete destruction of a house
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that an Israeli airstrike directly targeted a house on the outskirts of the southern town of Ansar. Initial reports indicate that seven Lebanese were killed and three others wounded. The building was completely destroyed. This tragic attack marks the first time Israel has targeted this area within Lebanese territory since the ceasefire agreement went into effect approximately two months ago. Rescue teams and Lebanese Civil Defense personnel are still working tirelessly amidst the rubble to remove debris and recover remaining bodies. They are also transporting the wounded to hospitals in the city of Nabatieh for treatment.
Expanding the circle of attacks and phosphorus bombing
In the escalating situation on the ground, the agency reported that Israeli warplanes had launched continuous airstrikes since dawn on Saturday. These strikes targeted the Ali al-Taher hill on the outskirts of Nabatieh al-Fawqa. They were accompanied by shelling with internationally prohibited phosphorus munitions targeting the surrounding woodlands and hills. The shelling also struck the vicinity of the teachers’ training college and the Husseiniya in the same area. All of this occurred under false Israeli pretexts claiming to target Hezbollah infrastructure.
A systematic campaign of sabotage and destruction of infrastructure
The attacks were not limited to airstrikes; the occupying forces continued their systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure in southern towns. They detonated and demolished several houses in Bint Jbeil and neighboring villages. This coincided with heavy machine gun fire directed at residential buildings along the Qounine-Saf al-Hawa road. Additionally, earlier evening airstrikes targeted the al-Mashaa neighborhood in the town of al-Mansouri. This blatant disregard for all international efforts aimed at containing the conflict and establishing stability was a clear challenge to these efforts.
