One dead and two injured in Israeli airstrike in Lebanon – fear of escalation grows
BEIRUT: An Israeli military raid on the Lebanese border village of Rab Al-Thalathin killed one person and wounded two on Thursday, amid growing concerns about an escalation in the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
Hezbollah said it fired anti-aircraft missiles after Israeli warplanes entered Lebanese airspace in the south, forcing it to retreat.
This came after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of “the escalation of a destructive war on both sides of the Blue Line” in his report on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 between February 21 and June 20 this year.
Resolution 1701 was adopted in 2006 with the aim of ending the war between Israel and Hezbollah that took place that year. It 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 ongoing clashes in southern Lebanon and said he “remains deeply concerned about the repeated violations of the cessation of hostilities beyond the Blue Line since 8 October 2023”.
He warned that “the cycle of escalation between Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups in Lebanon and the Israel Defense Forces is severely affecting civilians on both sides of the Blue Line and poses a serious threat to the stability of Lebanon, Israel and the region.” In addition, “the intensification and geographical expansion of exchanges of fire, coupled with increasingly belligerent rhetoric and threats of all-out war, are deeply worrying.”
The UN chief called on both sides to “urgently recommit to the full implementation of Resolution 1701, to return immediately to a cessation of hostilities and to use all diplomatic channels, including the good offices of the UN, to avoid further suffering and the risk of a larger, devastating conflagration.”
He noted that “the exchanges of fire demonstrate the possession of weapons outside state authority by Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups, in violation of Resolution 1701.” He called on the Lebanese government to take all necessary measures “to ensure that there are no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than those of the Lebanese state. This includes the full implementation” of existing agreements and UN resolutions that “call for the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon.”
Guterres reiterated his condemnation of “all violations of Lebanese sovereignty by Israel” and called on Israeli authorities to “cease all overflights over Lebanese territory.”
He also called on Lebanon's political leadership to “take decisive steps towards electing a president to address the country's most pressing political, economic and security problems.”
The presidency has been vacant since October 2022, when Michel Aoun's term ended because the country's political factions could not agree on a successor.
Guterres also said that the ability of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon to “carry out its operational activities as prescribed is more important than ever,” but warned that restrictions on the force's freedom of movement remained a “major concern.” He called on the Lebanese government to “investigate such incidents.”
Meanwhile, Israeli artillery fired on the outskirts of the village of Kfarchouba on Thursday morning as civil defense personnel attempted to extinguish a fire caused by an earlier attack on the area at dawn. No one was injured, but civil defense teams had to abandon their firefighting efforts. An Israeli combat drone fired a guided missile targeting the same area.
The outskirts of Aitaroun were also shelled with artillery, causing fires, as were areas around the town of Naqoura. And Israeli forces fired phosphorus incendiary bombs at areas around the town of Mays Al-Jabal. Although such weapons are not prohibited under international humanitarian law, their use in populated civilian areas is severely restricted by conventions.
Also on Thursday, Hezbollah said it had 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 had also attacked military buildings in Shtula, a target in Hanita and “attacked and destroyed spy equipment at the Birkat Risha site…
Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said the forces had carried out raids on “Hezbollah targets and targeted military buildings.”
