05-05-2025
Israeli drone strikes target outskirts of Aitaroun in southern Lebanon
Three airstrikes conducted by an Israeli drone targeted an open area on the outskirts of Aitaroun in southern Lebanon on Monday afternoon.
Using several missiles, according to information from our correspondent. This is the first reported incident since the start of the day in the south of the country, as Israeli strikes and fire continue in this region despite the implementationof a cease-fire agreement, on November 27, 2024.
No information was immediately available on the target of these attacks or any potential casualties.
The continuation of Israeli attacks in Lebanon despite the truce has resulted in more than 150 deaths, according to our count, and these strikes are regularly condemned by Beirut, which calls on the international community, particularly France and the U.S., sponsors of the cease-fire agreement, to pressure Israel to put an end to them.
It is in this context that Foreign Minister Joe Raggi received the U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. The two officials discussed the "ongoing efforts to urge Israel to honor its commitments under the agreement and fully withdraw from Lebanese territory." According to a brief statement from the foreign ministry, Raggi and Plasschaert also discussed the "ongoing cooperation" with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and "the importance of enabling it to fulfill its mandate ahead of its renewal in August."
Several incidents have occurred in the past two weeks in which residents of the south have prevented the U.N. force, which operates only south of the Litani River, from crossing villages, on the grounds that patrols were not accompanied by the Lebanese Army — a matter that had been controversial ahead of the renewal of UNIFIL's mandate in August 2024. Deputy spokeswoman for UNIFIL Kandice Ardiel reported "over 200 operational activities per day," among which hostile reactions were "rare."
