Israel Bombs South Lebanon 3 Times in 24 Hours, Expands Occupation

The Israeli army bombed a vehicle in the southern Lebanese town of Mays al-Jabal on 16 March, killing one person and marking the third deadly attack on Lebanon in 24 hours.

“An Israeli enemy drone attacked a car in the town of Mays al-Jabal, killing one person,” Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported.

“This is the third Israeli attack on southern Lebanon within 24 hours, following the targeting of the towns of Yater and Burj al-Muluk … three people were martyred in the three raids,” NNA added.

The strike on a car in Yater took place just shortly after midnight on Saturday. The drone attack in Burj al-Muluk, which also hit a vehicle, happened several hours earlier. Two others were injured in both attacks.

The Israeli army said on Sunday that it “eliminated two terrorists” in Mays al-Jabal and Yater, who were “involved in directing terrorist operations.” On Saturday afternoon, the army announced an attack targeting a Hezbollah “terrorist” in the Kfar Kila area.

According to Hebrew media reports, the target of the Mays al-Jabal attack was Hezbollah member Hussein Mahmoud Taha.

The consecutive attacks come as Israeli forces continue to expand their occupation in southern Lebanon. As part of the ceasefire deal, Israeli troops were required to pull out in late January – yet the deadline was extended until 18 February.

Israel withdrew a limited number of its forces on 18 February and maintained a presence in five key sites near the border in violation of the deal.

Al Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib reported on 15 March that Israeli troops “have dug a long trench on the western side of the road leading from the town of Houla toward the Israeli Abbad site, in preparation for placing metal wires inside the trench on Lebanese land belonging to the town.”

“By doing so, the enemy forces have effectively seized and occupied an area beyond the five demarcation points,” he added.

‘Israel’ Maintains Occupation of 5 ‘Strategic Points’ in South Lebanon After Withdrawal Deadline Passes

“As a result, the entire area extending from Abbad to the newly established site on the Houla-Markaba road is now occupied territory, in addition to the already surveyed lands of the town of Hunin, which include many citizens’ homes,” Shoeib went on to say, adding that this is happening under the watch of UNIFIL and Lebanese army troops deployed in the area.

Israel’s bombing of south and east Lebanon has been relentless since the ceasefire was reached in November last year.

Tel Aviv claims to be acting on its rights within the deal by preventing Hezbollah from rearming itself. However, the agreement signed by Beirut does not include anything about Israeli forces having the right to attack the country or occupy its land, instead stipulating that the resistance’s presence and military infrastructure must be dismantled by the Lebanese army south of the Litani River in south Lebanon.

Israel accuses Hezbollah of having not fully withdrawn to the north of the Litani River, as per the agreement. It also accuses the Lebanese resistance of trying to reconstitute its forces.

“We maintain five points on the Lebanese side of the border to protect our territory. We will not relinquish control [of the five sites]. Last week, we killed five Hezbollah members for violating the ceasefire agreement we seek to implement firmly,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on 14 March.