Four people were killed, and twenty others were injured, on Sunday, in Israeli raids concentrated in the Nabatieh region in southern Lebanon, while Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on the United States and the international community to take “urgent action” to stop the attacks.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health said that two people were killed in the town of Nabatieh Al-Fawqa, near the city of Nabatieh, while two women were killed in the town of Arabsalim, located a few kilometers away. She added that the wounded fell in several areas, including women and three children.
The raids led to the destruction of homes and damage to a building housing government institutions, in addition to the destruction of Salah Ghandour Hospital in Nabatieh Al-Fawqa, which is no longer operational.
The Ministry of Health condemned the targeting of the hospital, considering it an "additional grave violation of international humanitarian law."
The Israeli army said that the raids came in response to Hezbollah launching two drones towards its forces located in what Israel calls the “security zone” it occupies in southern Lebanon.
She added that his forces opened fire on one of the two marches and intercepted it, noting that there were no casualties among his soldiers, and describing their shooting as a “flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement.”
Hezbollah did not claim responsibility for launching the two drones, nor did it issue an immediate comment on the Israeli story.
In a later statement, the Israeli army said that it targeted Hezbollah weapons depots, which it claimed were being used “to plan and direct terrorist plots in the security zone,” in addition to a command headquarters established inside a building that was previously used as a hospital in southern Lebanon.
He added that members of the party had previously worked from inside the headquarters and used it for reconnaissance and artillery purposes.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun denounced “the renewed Israeli attacks on the city of Nabatieh and its towns,” considering that they represent a “dangerous escalation” that goes beyond the repeated violations of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement and the Framework Agreement concluded by Lebanon and Israel on June 26.
Aoun said that the raids targeted state institutions and facilities providing services to citizens, and were no longer limited to what Israel describes as military targets.
He called on the United States and the international community to “take urgent action to stop these violations and hold their perpetrators accountable,” holding Israel fully responsible for the escalation.
He stressed that Lebanon will continue its commitment to preserve its sovereignty, the stability of the south of the country, and the safety of its citizens, expressing his solidarity with the people of Nabatieh and the employees of the affected institutions, and wishing recovery for the wounded.
On Sunday morning, the Israeli army issued a warning to the residents of a building in the town of Arabsalim and the buildings adjacent to it that they must evacuate, saying that they are located near a Hezbollah facility. No similar warnings were issued to residents in other areas that were bombed.
But the official National News Agency said that Israeli aircraft first raided another house in Arabsalim that was not included in the warning, killing the two women, before targeting the specific building.
At the site of the raid in which the two women were killed, pieces of furniture and bedding appeared among the rubble, while nearby buildings were damaged, according to Agence France-Presse.
In the city of Nabatieh, rubble covered offices and chairs inside a building housing government institutions affiliated with the Ministries of Finance and Agriculture.
The mayor of Nabatieh, Abbas Fakhr El-Din, described what happened as a "described crime," calling on the state to take action and "at a minimum, defend its institutions."
Sunday's raids come less than 24 hours after other Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.
Four people were killed and 32 others were injured on Friday, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, in raids that Israel said targeted Hezbollah sites, and that they also came in response to the launching of a drone towards its forces.
On Thursday, Israel announced its control of the Ali al-Taher height near Nabatieh, which it said was used as a Hezbollah military facility.
The intensity of raids, shelling, and confrontations in Lebanon has decreased since June, following a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran in parallel with the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
But Israel still occupies large areas in southern Lebanon, where it announced the establishment of a “security zone” up to ten kilometers deep along the border, and continues to carry out raids, demolitions, and bombings. On the other hand, Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, has not announced any operations since June.
