Latest news with #southernLebanon
LBCI
7 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Israeli army: Senior Hezbollah naval commander killed in southern Lebanon strike
The Israeli military claimed it had killed Hassan Ahmad Sabra, a commander in the naval unit of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force, in an airstrike on the town of Kfour in southern Lebanon.
LBCI
17-07-2025
- LBCI
Israeli airstrike in South Lebanon kills one, injures two: Health Ministry
One person was killed and two others were injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting the Toul–Kfour highway in southern Lebanon, the Health Ministry reported on Thursday.
The National
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Israel's war on Lebanon leaves new deadly threat from unexploded munitions
Wearing cumbersome visors that extend below the chin and heavy red protective suits in the scorching summer heat, Hussein Jaafar and his team of munitions disposal experts carefully search a steep hillside near Ras El Ain in southern Lebanon. Holding one arm behind the back, to avoid losing both in the event of an explosion, the team members carefully scan from side to side as they inch forward. They are making sure the area considered 'contaminated' is clear of unexploded munitions left over from Israel's heavy bombardment of southern Lebanon during its war on the country in pursuit of Hezbollah last year. Mr Jaafar, a site supervisor for non-governmental organisation DanChurchAid (DCA), which has teamed up with the army-run Lebanese Mine Action Centre (LMAC), explained the painstaking process to The National. 'First, he will do a visual inspection of the weeds, then he will cut them. Then he will do a visual inspection of the land, then he will start using the metal detector,' he said. After the explosives are detected, they start the complex and delicate process of removing them for disposal. Mr Jaafar says he worked at this site with DCA more than 10 years ago to clear unexploded ordnance left behind from the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war and from conflicts before that – including the 1975-1990 Lebanese Civil War. Now he is back again. The entire area has been cordoned off with red and white tape to keep away residents, whose homes are visible at the top of the slope. A long water pipe serving those nearby snakes along the sandy soil. 'Look here, there are many trees and plants that people would come to pick,' said a Lebanese army officer accompanying The National, pointing to shrubbery next to the tape. The clearance operations are based on a variety of databases of suspected contaminated sites that draw from a number of sources including residents and Unifil, the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon. Mike Bonke, DCA's Lebanon director, says the munitions clearance is 'an ongoing process'. 'It's not just from the last few months of the escalation, it's from October 2023 up until now,' he said, referring to the start of the cross-border conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that led to an intense Israeli bombing campaign across the country, as well as a ground invasion, in September last year. The scale of the bombing is clear from the damage to towns and villages across southern Lebanon, and Israel continues to carry out air strikes despite a ceasefire that went into effect in November, further complicating the process of decontaminating the area. While The National was in Ras Al Ain, there was a loud explosion from an air strike about two kilometres away, in a village the DCA had cleared only the previous week. It is difficult to know just how many munitions Israel dropped, with the huge variety of explosives and weapons used making the task more difficult, Mr Bonke said. An estimated 10 to 15 per cent of the high-explosive munitions dropped by Israeli fighter jets did not explode. Other explosives are from Hezbollah weapons storage depots that scattered across the surrounding civilian areas after the sites were bombed by Israel. Even though they were in storage, 'you have to treat them as if they were armed and ready to explode', Mr Bonke said. The drive to clear Lebanon of mines and unexploded munitions could be set back by the possible withdrawal of Unifil, one of the main resources for tracking where the explosives fell. The force's mandate is up for renewal next month and, while Lebanon and Hezbollah have voiced strong support for its operations to continue, Israel and the US have criticised Unifil while stopping short of formally calling for its mission to be ended. Although a withdrawal is not expected, Israel and the US could push for Unifil's mandate to be changed. The task is far from over. Before the Israel-Hezbollah war last year, much of the DCA's focus was on the Mount Lebanon region. They have been doing this for nearly 20 years. Knowing which civil war militia was active in each respective area can help; one example given by experts is that if it is a Druze area, it is likely to be French weaponry. Organisations like DCA also rely on funding, the sources of which are not always stable. Lebanon had hoped to be free of unexploded cluster munitions by 2028 and mines by 2030. The most recent war is likely to push back those deadlines, but the clearing teams are undeterred. 'Every time we remove a mine, a bomb or anything that could harm others we feel that we have saved the life of a person,' says Lina Shahine, a DCA team leader. 'Even animals, we feel that we have saved the life of a soul,' added Ms Shahine, who comes from a family with many members in the Lebanese Army.
Al Mayadeen
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Mayadeen
Israeli strikes renewed on Bekaa, S. Lebanon, amid border incursions
Israeli aggression on Lebanon intensified on Sunday evening as warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes across southern regions and the eastern Bekaa Valley. According to Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon, Israeli aircraft targeted the outskirts of the town of Bouslaiya. Additional raids targeted the area between Ain Qana, Sarba, and Houmin al-Fawqa, resulting in further damage to civilian areas and infrastructure. The occupation forces also launched four consecutive airstrikes on the outskirts of the town of Irzay, in the Saida district, marking a sharp escalation in the frequency and intensity of attacks. Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces infiltrated the border town of Kfar Kila, advancing approximately 400 meters into Lebanese territory. The force is currently carrying out excavation work under the protection of tanks, providing cover for the operation. Another Israeli force infiltrated the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab. In the eastern Bekaa Valley, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that Israeli warplanes conducted an airstrike on the outskirts of the town of Bouday, west of the Baalbek District. This was followed by two additional airstrikes targeting the outskirts of Flaoui, also located west of Baalbek. These operations highlight a geographic expansion of the Israeli occupation's military actions, reaching deeper into Lebanese territory and targeting previously less-affected areas. These airstrikes come as part of a broader campaign of Israeli aggression on Lebanon, marked by repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement. Since the first day of the truce, the Israeli occupation has consistently disregarded commitments made under international auspices. The continued attacks have destroyed civilian infrastructure and continue to pose a threat to the lives of residents in both South Lebanon and the Bekaa region. This escalation unfolds amid persistent international silence and widespread complicity in the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation. It is also worth mentioning that Israeli movements were detected in the border town of Kfar Kila. In a similar development, Israeli occupation forces launched a series of drone strikes across southern Lebanon on Saturday, killing at least one person and injuring five others, according to Al Mayadeen's correspondent and Lebanese health officials. The Lebanese Ministry of Health confirmed that one civilian was killed and two others were wounded after an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle in the Saf al-Hawa area, in the Bint Jbeil district. Elsewhere, an Israeli drone struck a house on the outskirts of Shebaa, injuring one member of the family residing inside. In a separate strike, a drone targeted a vehicle in the town of Shaqra, also in the Bint Jbeil region. The Public Health Emergency Operations Center reported that the Israeli attack left two Lebanese critically injured, both of whom were transferred to intensive care units for emergency treatment.
Al Mayadeen
15-07-2025
- Al Mayadeen
Six killed in Israeli strikes across Lebanon, Health Ministry says
The Lebanese Ministry of Health confirmed Tuesday evening that six people were martyred and over a dozen others wounded in a series of Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks across southern and northern Lebanon. According to the ministry's statement, one person was martyred in an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in the southern town of Babliyeh, located in the Saida district. Local sources had earlier reported that an Israeli drone had struck a civilian car in the area. Meanwhile, three individuals were martyred and 13 others wounded in a separate Israeli drone attack that targeted a vehicle in the town of al-Ayrouniyeh, near Tripoli in northern Lebanon. The strike marks a significant geographic expansion of Israeli aggression, moving beyond its usual targets in the south. Additionally, two more people were martyred in Israeli air raids on Monday that struck the southern towns of Deir Kifa and Beit Lif. Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon reported that Israeli occupation forces stationed in the occupied village of al-Ghajar opened fire with machine guns toward the outskirts of al-Wazzani, a Lebanese town near the border. No injuries were reported. On Sunday, the Israeli occupation launched multiple strikes on the town of Burj Rahhal in the Tyre district, wounding nine civilians. Additionally, a young girl sustained critical injuries and was transferred to intensive care following an Israeli airstrike on the town of al-Zrariyeh in the Saida district, the Health Ministry reported. Israeli occupation warplanes also launched a raid on the outskirts of Bouslaiya and bombed areas between the towns of Ain Qana, Sarba, and Houmin al-Fawqa. Four consecutive airstrikes also hit the outskirts of Irzay in the Saida district. In a related escalation, Israeli warplanes intensified their aggression with a strike on the outskirts of Bouday, west of the Baalbek district, followed by two additional airstrikes on the outskirts of nearby Flaoui.
