Around 1:30 AM, Israeli forces entered the town of Blida in southern Lebanon, more than a kilometer past the Blue Line, and executed municipal employee Ibrahim Salameh while he was in the municipal building.
According to media reports, the assault continued until 4:00 AM, after which the Israeli unit withdrew. The Lebanese Army later entered the site alongside the Civil Defense and transported Salameh’s body to a nearby hospital.
Throughout the week, Israeli attacks have continued to kill civilians across South Lebanon and the Bekaa. Today, Israeli airstrikes have targeted the outskirts of Jarmaq and Mahmoudiyeh in southern Lebanon.
On Monday, an Israeli airstrike killed two brothers when it targeted a carpentry workshop on the outskirts of Al-Bayyad town in the Tyre district.
Israeli attacks have also hit United Nations peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL) in the South. An Israeli drone dropped a grenade in the vicinity of a UNIFIL patrol, while a tank opened fire on peacekeepers near the town of Kfar Kila.
UNIFIL forces neutralized an Israeli drone flying over its patrol in an “aggressive manner”, according to a UNIFIL statement on October 26.
The attack was condemned by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and noted that similar incidents took place beforehand on multiple occasions. The attack was also condemned by the European Union, also stating that the incident was the latest in a series of similar attacks in recent weeks. The statement also called on Israel to withdraw from all Lebanese territory.
Today, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun instructed Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces Rudolph Haykal to confront any Israeli incursion into Lebanon’s southern territories.
Inexistent Ceasefires
These attacks represent a continued violation of the ceasefire agreement, alongside the continued Israeli occupation of five regions in southern Lebanon.
In Gaza, Israel continues to violate the ceasefire agreement, killing hundreds of Palestinians. Yesterday, Israeli attacks killed at least 109 Palestinians, including dozens of children, in a span of 12 hours.
While concerns of major security escalations remain present in Lebanon and the region, what remains likely is that absent adequate interventions and concrete changes, Israeli attacks will continue, killing civilians and destroying vital infrastructures.
