BLIDA, Lebanon: The Israeli navy on Thursday (Oct 30) carried out a lethal raid in southern Lebanon, prompting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to order the military to confront such incursions.
Israel’s navy confirmed the raid, saying it was working in opposition to Hezbollah infrastructure when its forces fired on a “suspect”.
Regardless of a November 2024 ceasefire with the Lebanese militant group, Israel maintains troops in 5 areas in southern Lebanon and has stored up regular air strikes.
Aoun instructed the navy to “confront any Israeli incursion into liberated southern territory, in defence of Lebanese territory and the security of residents”, throughout a gathering with the military chief, in accordance with a press release from the presidency.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the incursion as “a flagrant aggression in opposition to Lebanese state establishments and sovereignty”.
Early within the day, Lebanon’s official Nationwide Information Company (NNA) reported Israeli troops “stormed the Blida municipality constructing, the place worker Ibrahim Salameh was sleeping, and enemy troopers proceeded to kill him”.
Lebanon’s well being ministry confirmed the demise.
An AFP journalist noticed bullet holes within the partitions and home windows of the municipal constructing in Blida.
Within the room the place Salameh had been sleeping, the ground, blankets and mattress had been stained with blood, with the sufferer’s glasses, papers and cigarettes scattered round.
Salameh had been sleeping within the constructing as a result of he was on obligation, mentioned the mayor of Blida, the place most homes had been destroyed throughout final yr’s conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Village residents cited by NNA mentioned the raid lasted a number of hours and that Israeli forces withdrew at daybreak.
The Israeli navy mentioned that in an operation to “dismantle Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure within the Blida space in southern Lebanon, the troops recognized a suspect contained in the construction”.
It added that “an instantaneous menace in opposition to the troops was recognized, they usually fired to take away it”, noting the “incident is underneath overview”.
The navy accused Hezbollah of getting used the constructing “for terrorist exercise underneath the guise of civilian infrastructure”.
