Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported at least 21 dead on Friday in new Israeli attacks in the south and east of the country. Israel reported the deaths of four soldiers from Hezbollah fire. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the attacks undermined efforts to end the war.
According to the latest information from the Lebanese Ministry of Health, at least 21 people were killed and 39 others injured in the Israeli attacks in the south and east of the country. In the south, the attacks were directed at places near the city of Nabatijeh, and in the east against targets in the Bekaa Valley.
The Israeli army initially reported attacks on “Hezbollah terrorists and infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon” on Friday morning. The army later reported the deaths of four soldiers in Hezbollah attacks in southern Lebanon. The Iranian-allied militia said it had fired “rockets and mortar shells” at Israeli forces near the town of Nabatiyeh.
The Israeli army later said it had killed dozens of pro-Iran militia fighters in its attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. On Friday night, the Israeli armed forces hit “more than 80 command centers, terrorists, launch pads and other terrorist infrastructure locations in the Nabatiyeh area and other areas in the south of Lebanon, within the security zone and beyond.”
The Iranian-backed militia will pay a “very high price” for its attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday. In order to protect the places in northern Israel, Israel’s army will “stay in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary.” Israel “will not tolerate any attack on our soldiers or our territory,” Netanyahu added.
“Permanent War”
The far-right Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir went further and demanded after the soldiers’ deaths: “The entire Lebanon must burn.” The security of Israeli citizens is “non-negotiable.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi then accused Israel of seeking a “permanent war.” Ben Gvir’s statements were “not the tirade of a single, insane genocidal murderer.” Rather, it was “a public statement by the Minister of National Security of the Israeli regime,” wrote Araghtschi in the online service X.
The USA and Iran signed a framework agreement on Wednesday to end the Iran war. The agreement provides, among other things, for an immediate ceasefire throughout the region, including Lebanon. However, neither Israel nor the Hezbollah militia were involved in the negotiations. (AFP)
