Israeli airstrikes target Brital's outskirts and Jezzine heights
Israeli warplanes on Thursday bombed areas in northeastern and southern Lebanon, a day after a defiant speech by Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem.
In the Bekaa, the airstrikes targeted the outskirts of the town of Brital in two waves and the peripheries of the town of Janta near Syria's border.
Israeli warplanes also carried out strikes on the heights of the al-Mahmoudiyeh and al-Jarmaq areas in south Lebanon's Jezzine region.
Israel has frequently bombed the aforementioned areas since the November ceasefire, alleging the presence of Hezbollah military bases.
Such airstrikes have become regular after Qassem's speeches. This time they come amid a debate in the country over Hezbollah's controversial arsenal of weapons.
Earlier in the day, President Joseph Aoun said that Lebanon is determined to disarm Hezbollah, a step it has come under heavy U.S. pressure to take, with the Iran-backed group insisting that doing so would serve Israeli goals.
In a key speech marking Army Day on Thursday, Aoun said Lebanon was demanding "the extension of the Lebanese state's authority over all its territory, the removal of weapons from all armed groups including Hezbollah and their handover to the Lebanese Army."
He added it was every politician's duty "to seize this historic opportunity and push without hesitation towards affirming the army and security forces' monopoly on weapons over all Lebanese territory... in order to regain the world's confidence."
On Wednesday, Qassem had said that "anyone calling today for the surrender of weapons, whether internally or externally, on the Arab or the international stage, is serving the Israeli project."
He accused U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who has visited Lebanon several times in recent months for talks with senior officials, of using "intimidation and threats" with the aim of "aiding Israel."
Lebanon has proposed modifications to "ideas" submitted by the United States on Hezbollah's disarmament, Aoun added, and a plan would be discussed at a cabinet meeting next week to "establish a timetable for implementation."
Aoun also demanded the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the release of Lebanese prisoners and "an immediate cessation of Israeli hostilities."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Ya Libnan
39 minutes ago
- Ya Libnan
Musk's 'America Party' is failing to launch
Elon Musk called the results of new polling 'encouraging,' with 40% of responding voters saying they were likely to support his 'America Party.' GETTY IMAGES , So far he failed to launch it Elon Musk's new political party is so far a no-go on the launch pad. A Musk-backed 'America Party' could disrupt the midterms and escalate his feud with President Trump. But 'Musk has read the room,' said Dan Ives, a Wedbush Securities analyst who's followed him for decades. Musk just had to 'blow off steam' about Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' Tesla investor James Fishback told Axios. Zoom out: 'I look at the half life of how this guy operates,' Fishback said, explaining that Musk recently announced the integration of Grok AI into Tesla cars and an expanded Robotaxi app in Austin. Both ideas are already implemented. The intrigue: The America PAC, the vehicle Musk used to spend roughly $250 million in the 2024 campaign, remains active. What's next: 'I think he should take the America PAC, and instead of making it just pro-MAGA, he should just clearly define what it is he believes,' Musk's friend Jason Calacanis said on a recent episode of The All-In Podcast.
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Israeli attorney general under fire from Netanyahu government
In February 2022, during a brief time when Benjamin Netanyahu was not leading the Israeli government, Gali Baharav-Miara was appointed as attorney general for six as one of the last defenders of the rule of law by some Israelis opposing the country's autocratic and illiberal drift, the 65-year-old magistrate has established herself as a key figure in opposition to the these reasons, the attorney general, the first woman appointed to this role, is in the crosshairs of the country's most right-wing coalition. Her supporters have denounced this as a witch hunt, which could end with her removal next week after a process launched in March. Meanwhile... Conference on 2-state solution: Lebanon avoids antagonizing Hamas The government is set to decide on Monday whether to dismiss her, following a...
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
'If it were for the money, I wouldn't do this job': Lebanese Army continues to attract candidates
"It's for the love of the country! If it were for the money, I wouldn't do this job," said Karim*, a 21-year-old cadet, emerging from a ceremony Thursday in front of the Fayadieh Military School on the occasion of the Lebanese Army's 80th army, which is struggling to recover from six years of crises marked by drastic salary cuts that have forced many soldiers to take second jobs or even desert the ranks, must now confront significant security challenges following the latest Hezbollah war with Israel. Deployment south of the Litani, at the borders with Syria and Israel, around the Palestinian camps, and in law enforcement missions—which have been its responsibility since a 1991 presidential decree — are the main tasks the army must handle, according to retired General Khalil Helou. More about the...
