One killed, two injured in Israeli airstrike in Lebanon as fears of escalation grow
BEIRUT: One person was killed and two injured in an Israeli military attack on the Lebanese border village of Rab Al-Thalathin on Thursday, amid growing concern over the escalation of the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
Hezbollah said it fired anti-aircraft missiles after Israeli warplanes entered Lebanese airspace in the south, forcing them to withdraw.
It came as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his report on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 between February 21 and June 20 this year, warned of “the expansion of a destructive war on both sides of the blue line.”
Resolution 1701, which was adopted in 2006 to end that year's war between Israel and Hezbollah, calls for an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon and the disarmament of non-state armed groups, including Hezbollah.
In his latest report, Guterres highlighted the continued confrontations in southern Lebanon, saying he “remains deeply concerned about the repeated violations of the cessation of hostilities across the Blue Line since October 8, 2023.”
He warned that “the cycle of escalation between Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups in Lebanon and the Israeli Defense Forces is seriously affecting the civilian population on both sides of the Blue Line and poses a serious threat to the stability of Lebanon, Israel and the Israeli region”, and that “the intensification and geographic expansion of the exchanges of fire, combined with increasingly bellicose rhetoric and threats of all-out war, are deeply alarming.”
The UN chief called on both sides to “urgently recommit to the full implementation of Resolution 1701, return immediately to a cessation of hostilities and utilize all diplomatic channels, including the good offices of the United Nations, to avoid further suffering and the risk of a major , devastating fire.”
Noting that “firefights demonstrate the possession of weapons outside the authority of the state … by Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups, in violation of resolution 1701,” he called on the Lebanese government to take all measures “necessary to ensure that it will not be any arms or authorities in Lebanon other than the Lebanese state, including through the full implementation of” existing agreements and UN resolutions that “require the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon.”
Guterres again condemned “all violations of Lebanese sovereignty by Israel” and called on Israeli authorities to “cease all overflights of Lebanese territory.”
He also called on Lebanon's political leaders to take “resolute steps towards the election of a president to address pressing political, economic and security demands facing the country.”
The presidency has been vacant since October 2022, when Michel Aoun's term ended, as political factions in the country have been unable to agree on a successor.
Guterres also said the ability of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon “to carry out its mandated operational activities is more critical than ever”, but warned that restrictions on the force's freedom of movement remained of “great concern”. He called on the Lebanese government “to deal with all such incidents.”
Meanwhile, Israeli artillery fired on the outskirts of the village of Kfarchouba on Thursday morning as members of the civil defense tried to put out a fire caused by an earlier attack on the area at dawn. No one was injured but civil defense teams had to halt their firefighting efforts. An Israeli combat drone fired a guided missile targeting the same area.
Aitaroun's outskirts also came under artillery attack, causing fires, as did areas around the city of Naqoura. And Israeli forces targeted areas around the town of Mays Al-Jabal with incendiary phosphorus bombs. Although such weapons are not prohibited under international humanitarian law, conventions severely limit their use in populated civilian areas.
Also on Thursday, Hezbollah said it attacked and hit a building used by Israeli soldiers in the settlement of Manara in response to an attack on Kfarhamam on Wednesday. The group said it also targeted military buildings in Shtula, a target in Hanita, and “espionage equipment at the Birkat Risha site … leading to its destruction.”
Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said forces carried out raids against “Hezbollah targets and targeted military buildings”.
