Israel carries out spate of bombings on south Lebanon ahead of municipal elections
Israel carried out a wave of bombings across south Lebanon late on Thursday, ratcheting up its attacks on the region days before municipal elections are due to take place there.
One strike hit a building next to a busy main road in Toul, a town north-west of the city of Nabatieh. No casualties were reported but the damage was extensive. Footage posted online showed the struck building on fire, sending up black plumes of smoke.
The Israeli military claimed, without providing evidence, that the building contained Hezbollah facilities and ordered people to move at least 500 metres away before launching the strike.
Strikes were also carried out on Houla and near the coastal city of Naqoura. One strike landed near a fisherman, who was unharmed.
The Israeli military said it had targeted Hezbollah sites and killed one member of the group. It claimed to have killed a member of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force in the area of Rab El Thalathine, about 17 kilometres to the south-east of Toul.
Lebanese authorities said three people were killed in Israeli attacks in the south on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Thursday condemned 'the repeated Israeli aggressions against Lebanon at a critical moment just before municipal elections in the south'. The elections are set for Saturday.
Despite the escalation in attacks, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem called on supporters to go to the polls and secure a 'resounding' victory in areas where its traditional voter bases are concentrated.
Israel continues to bomb south Lebanon on a daily basis despite the ceasefire agreed with Hezbollah last November.
But in recent weeks it has been rare for the Israeli army to issue eviction warnings before its attacks. These have largely been drone strikes on alleged Hezbollah members rather than on buildings.
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