The War of Aggression against Lebanon on its 21st Day
We continue our reportage on Israel’s war of aggression against Lebanon: the course of the war during the last 24 hours shows limited advances of Israeli forces in Lebanon, despite propaganda footage showing unarmored vehicles and journalists on Lebanese soil. Meanwhile, the Israeli crimes scale new heights, violating intentionally and widespread international humanitarian and laws of war – targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, universities, religious sites, hospitals, health care centers and medics, as well as using prohibited weaponry and shelling and shooting at UN troops and installations, harassing the UNIFIL mission, preventing it from its duties and even stormed one of the UNIFIL’s headquarters.
Hezbollah claimed that Israeli forces have failed to take control of any tactically significant hills or ridge-lines in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah asserted that Israeli forces have only advanced to the outskirts of Lebanese towns and are using propaganda images to misrepresent military successes. Anyway Israeli forces seemed to operate in some centers of few southern Lebanese towns. Israeli forces also appear to have partially secured some villages in southern Lebanon’s border region, according to ‘western’ media outlets.
Hezbollah combatants and Israeli forces are engaging in the areas surrounding UNIFIL position 1-31 south of Labbouneh, southwestern Lebanon. Hezbollah claimed that it has repelled repeated IDF attempts to advance from Ras Naqoura and Jal al Alam to Labbouneh, southwest Lebanon, since October 7.
Hezbollah as well claimed that its combatants continue to target IDF rear positions in northern Israel and support lines as part of its defense against Israel’s ground operation in southern Lebanon. Attacks on IDF support elements are meant to degrade the IDF’s ability to conduct effective ground operations. Attacks on IDF military targets along the Israel-Lebanon border have been confirmed also by other reportage. Hezbollah has launched one rocket and one mortar attack at Israeli forces operating in Blida. Hezbollah also launched a rocket attack targeting Israeli forces in Kafr Kila.
Hezbollah conducted at least 23 drone and rocket attacks into Israel on Saturday. Israeli forces continued its bombardments across Lebanon, striking at least 111 and up to 240 facilities. At least one bombing targeted the border area near al Qusayr, Syria.
Emergency responders have found 17 bodies and rescued 12 wounded overnight as Israeli air raids on Lebanon continued. Rescue workers are still operating at the site of an air attack that destroyed two residential buildings in the Basta neighbourhood of Beirut on Thursday evening to find a missing girl, according to the official National News Agency.
The Lebanese health ministry said nine people were murdered and 15 wounded in an Israeli strike on the village of Maaysrah, located north of Beirut. The ministry also reported two people murdered, four wounded and unidentified body parts recovered following an Israeli strike on Deir Bella, near the northern Lebanese town of Batroun. Four people were also murdered and 18 wounded in a strike on Barja, south of Beirut.
Universities and hospitals in Bekaa suffer major damage due to Israeli shelling. The World Health Organization announced on Saturday that the Israeli aggression has caused the closure of five hospitals and 100 health care centers in Lebanon. Five hospitals have also closed due to structural damage caused by the attacks, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The continuous attacks on Lebanese health workers have murdered nearly 100 people, he added.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported at least 22 Israeli soldiers injured tonight due to clashes on the border with Lebanon.
On Sunday Hezbollah combatants reportedly targeted the Israeli position in Ma’iliya, a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the Manara settlement, Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of Ramyah – eliminating and wounding them -, a gathering of Israeli soldiers at the Tal Shaar site with artillery shells, the Zarit barracks with rockets and a Burkan missile, confirming in a statement that it had achieved a direct hit, and a gathering of Israeli occupation forces in Khallet Warda Basaliya
Hezbollah said that it detonated an explosive device against a grouplet of Israeli soldiers and clashed with them with medium range and machine guns when they tried to infiltrate the town of Ramyeh, confirming in a statement that its members were eliminated and wounded.
As well the resistance combatants targeted the settlement of Shomera, the Zabadani barracks in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms, a gathering of Israeli forces in the town of Maroun al-Ras with artillery shells and carried out a qualitative missile launch operation on the Tira Carmel base in southern Haifa.
Hezbollah reported that its members clashed with Israeli infantry forces while trying to infiltrate the Canaan Heights in the town of Blida from zero distance, eliminating and wounding them. The Israeli army confirmed losses in battles in southern Lebanon. Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya reported in the noon that they have received 17 Israeli soldiers since morning as a result of the battles on the northern border with Lebanon. An Israeli officer and soldier from Battalion 9220 were seriously injured by anti-tank fire in two different incidents.
Israel meanwhile bombed several towns and villages in southern Lebanon, including the town of Aita al-Shaab:
The Lebanese National News Agency reported that Israel also bombarded the towns of Kafra, Haris and Meifdoun as well as Alma al-Shaab, Aita al-Shaab and Al-Dhuhra in southern Lebanon. An early morning attack by an Israeli aircraft has “completely destroyed” an old mosque in the center of the small town of Kfar Tebnit.
The Lebanese National News Agency reported that ambulances belonging to the Lebanese Red Cross were targeted in the Nabatieh Governorate, after obtaining permission to move from UNIFIL. Four paramedics were injured when the Israeli army targeted a house in the town of Sarbin in southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese Red Cross said paramedics were searching for casualties in a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon when a second strike left four paramedics with concussions and damaged two ambulances.
Between 08:30 and 09:30 hours of today, the Israeli Air Force bombed the area between the towns of Hanin and al-Tayri with rockets loaded with internationally banned cluster bombs.
In a released video addressed to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu accused UNIFIL of “providing a human shield” to Hezbollah and added “Mr. Secretary General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm’s way. It should be done right now, immediately.”
Yesterday, IDF soldiers stopped a critical UNIFIL logistical movement near Meiss ej Jebel, denying it passage. The critical movement could not be completed. Today two Israeli Merkava tanks destroyed the gate of the UNFIL site in Ramya, forcibly entered the headquarters, and then left after 45 minutes. Later fifteen UNIFIL soldiers at the same place suffered injuries, including skin irritation and gastrointestinal reactions, after smoke from some far away entered the camp suggesting that Israel used some kind of chemical weaponry. UNIFIL stated on the blatant Israeli aggression: “Breaching and entering a UN position is a further flagrant violation of international law and Security Council resolution 1701 (2006). Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and resolution 1701.”
In the afternoon hours Israeli air raids targeted the towns of Ramadiyeh, Shaitiyah and Khiyam in southern Lebanon. Israeli artillery shelling targeted the towns of Yatar, Shebaa and Hebarieh in the same area.
Meanwhile clashes have been reported between Hezbollah combatants engaged in machine gun shoot-outs with Israeli infantry forces. The combat lasted for a whole hour as Israel persistently tried to infiltrate the town of Qawzah in southern Lebanon. Within these clashes an Israeli tank was hit by a guided missile, which led to the tank burning and the deaths and injuries of its crew.
