Israeli attacks have continued across Lebanon, particularly in the South and Nabatieh governorates, in violation of the conditional ceasefire agreement.
Yesterday, an Israeli airstrike struck a car on the Arnoun-Yohmor al-Shaqif road in the South, killing one person. Israeli artillery also targeted Jabal al-Saddana in the outskirts of the town of Shebaa with eight shells, while a prefabricated structure in the town of Adaisseh was hit with an unidentified medium.
Shortly after midnight yesterday, an Israeli Apache helicopter carried out three consecutive airstrikes on the town of Houla, according to the National News Agency. The agency’s report also indicated that one of the missiles struck a building belonging to the “Taawanou” humanitarian association.
Direct Fire on UNIFIL
For the first time since the onset of the conditional ceasefire agreement, Israeli fire directly hit the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Tuesday.
In the statement, the mission expressed that it is “concerned by the recent aggressive posture of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) involving UNIFIL personnel and assets near the Blue Line, including yesterday’s incident in which a direct fire hit the perimeter of a UNIFIL position south of the village of Kfar Shouba”.
UNIFIL reported that two shots were fired from south of the Blue Line, with one of the shots hitting the UNIFIL base. The statement also indicated that it observed at least four other incidents involving Israeli fire near its positions along the Blue Line since the November 27 agreement.
The mission also reported a series of incidents that represent “aggressive behavior” by Israeli forces toward peacekeepers performing operational activities in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. These include being targeted by a laser on Tuesday and on May 7 — from a nearby Israeli military position and from two Merkava tanks, respectively — as well as being followed or flown over by drones or other aerial vehicles.
“UNIFIL protests all such and we continue to remind all actors of their responsibility to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN assets and premises at all times,” the statement concluded.
Continued Occupation and Municipality Elections
Israeli forces continue to occupy five strategic hilltops along Lebanon’s southern border in violation of the conditional ceasefire agreement, with Lebanese authorities asserting that removing these forces remains an urgent national priority.
The South and Nabatieh governorates are expected to host municipality elections on May 25, the last two governorates in Lebanon. For residents of the towns along the border and under continued Israeli violations, it is expected that one or more megacenters will be established outside the towns, such as in the city of Tyre, to allow the residents to vote in their respective districts.
