Zionist airstrikes on Lebanon kill 7, injure 40 in largest escalation since November 27 ceasefire
At least seven people were killed and 40 others injured on Saturday in “Israeli” airstrikes on several Lebanese regions, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported on Sunday, citing the Public Health Ministry’s Emergency Operations Center.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said in the town of Touline in the Marjayoun district of southern Lebanon, five people, including a child, were killed and 11 injured in an occupation airstrike.
Six were injured in the towns of Housh al-Sayyid and Saraain in eastern Lebanon’s Baalbek-Hermel governorate.
Another drone strike targeted a parking area in the al-Raml neighbourhood of Tyre on Saturday evening, injuring four people, according to an initial Health Ministry toll.
The ministry added that a strike on the town of Yahmor al-Shaqif in the Nabatieh district injured one person, while two others were wounded in an attack on Kfarkela.
The Zionist occupation’s artillery and airstrikes hit southern Lebanon after claiming on Saturday that it intercepted three rockets launched from the area.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah denied having “any link” to the rocket launches and reiterated its commitment to the U.S.-backed ceasefire.
Nevertheless, Benjamin Netanyahu ordered “a second wave of strikes against dozens of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon”, in the largest escalation since a November 27 ceasefire.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned “attempts to once again drag Lebanon into the cycle of violence,” and ordered the Lebanese army to secure “any violation” that could threaten stability in Lebanon.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned of the “dire consequences” of renewed military activity on Lebanon’s southern border, urging international pressure on “Israel” to fully withdraw from occupied Lebanese territory.
The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon said it was alarmed by the “volatile” situation and that any further escalation could have “serious consequences for the region.”
Under the ceasefire deal, the Zionist occupation was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after “Israel” refused to comply. It still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.
It is noteworthy that the Lebanese authorities had previously reported nearly 1,100 “Israeli” violations of the ceasefire, which killed at least 85 people and injured over 280 others.
