BEIRUT: The head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Lebanese Parliament, MP Fadi Alama, revealed that “the number of attacks against southern Lebanon has exceeded 5,736 until July 15, resulting in 538 martyrs and 1,850 injuries.”
The Foreign Affairs Committee met on Wednesday with several ambassadors from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Great Britain and Canada to present the results of the ongoing Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, as part of preparations for “the government's work in the post-ceasefire phase.”
MP Alama said that “representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations were surprised when we talked about 1,800 hectares deliberately burned by the Israeli enemy. They were also surprised by the number of schools that were targeted and the number of students who could not complete their education and moved to other locations. In addition, they were informed of the 28,000 new families that have been displaced from areas subject to daily targets.”
The parliamentarian said it was urgent for the government to come up with a plan and a roadmap as soon as possible.
MP Wael Abu Faour, a member of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, stated that “the losses to people, health, cities, agriculture and the environment as a result of Israeli attacks have become enormous. Initial estimates from Lebanese institutions indicate a cost of about two billion dollars so far , in addition to other damages and losses.”
Abu Faour said: “This is a new challenge for the Lebanese state that must be dealt with in Lebanon's Arab and international relations. The state is bankrupt and unable to bear such responsibility, but at the same time it cannot abandon its responsibility to its citizens regardless of any controversial local political considerations regarding the feasibility of war or its justifications among certain parties.”
Hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli army continued on Wednesday. According to Israeli media, 43 settlements in the north were evacuated, (and) more than 1,500 buildings, cars and infrastructure were damaged in the north. In addition, six industrial zones were affected and hundreds of businesses were forced to close due to Hezbollah strikes.”
Israel targeted the towns of Kafr Shuba, Tayr Harfa and Hula on Wednesday with airstrikes and artillery fire. A raid also targeted a house in the town of Kfar Hammam, leading to its destruction. This small village is located in Hasbaya District on the eastern side of Nabatieh Governorate.
Hezbollah released a new video recorded by the Hudhud drone in Israel, showing images from inside the Ramat David Air Base, located about 50 km from the Lebanese border.
According to Hezbollah, “the footage was captured on Tuesday with a drone.”
The new eight-minute video released by Hezbollah shows several sensitive areas within the base, including aircraft fuel tanks, the headquarters of Squadron 109, an Iron Dome missile defense platform and ammunition depots. It also reveals the location of Squadron 157 and Squadron 105 headquarters. Hezbollah included an image of the base commander's office, which reveals intricate details about the facility.
It is not the first time that Hezbollah has used such tactics. Earlier, the group broadcast aerial images of critical installations captured by similar unmanned aerial vehicles in Haifa and the Golan Heights.
Israeli media reacted strongly, with one outlet saying: “Over eight minutes of Hezbollah video exposing our vulnerability is a disgrace.”
However, the Israeli military downplayed the incident, claiming the images were captured by a drone designed for photography only and did not affect base operations.
A Hezbollah source linked the timing of the video release to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington.
Amid these developments, the Israeli military announced on Wednesday that its “reserve brigade has conducted an exercise simulating war scenarios in Lebanon.”
Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir expressed support for a full-scale war against Hezbollah, saying, “The sooner, the better.”
But Israel's ambassador to Russia Simona Halperin maintained that while Tel Aviv is prepared for military confrontation with Lebanon, it still prefers a diplomatic solution.
She emphasized that Israel is not interested in a large-scale war. “We cannot rule out a scenario where Israel may be forced to engage in a full-scale war on the northern front,” she added.
In the context of Israel's war rhetoric, the Canadian Embassy in Lebanon issued a renewed advisory to its citizens.
It urged “Canadians, permanent residents, their spouses and dependent children to follow travel advisories and leave the country while commercial flights are available.”
The embassy emphasized its focus on helping individuals obtain necessary travel documents and keeping families together during this process.
This escalation comes as thousands of expatriate Lebanese expatriates with dual citizenship from Canada, the United States and Europe have arrived in Lebanon for summer vacations.
