In yet another blatant violation of the ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, which came into effect in November 2024, Israel launched a series of airstrikes across Lebanon on Sunday, October 26.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that three people were killed in separate Israeli aerial raids on the eastern city of Baalbek, and the Naqoura town in the southern province of Tyre.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) also launched a drone and artillery shelling on a patrol of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) near Kfar Kila town in southern Lebanon.
The UNIFIL added that its peacekeepers had to shoot down another Israeli surveillance drone, which flew over them in the same town as a defensive measure.
UN, EU condemn the assault on UNIFIL
The spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, expressed his concern regarding the Israeli aggression on the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
“I can tell you that we are very concerned about the incident that occurred on Sunday in which an Israeli drone dropped a grenade in the vicinity of a UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) patrol and subsequently an Israeli tank fired a shot at the peacekeepers in Kafr Kila in the UNIFIL area of operations,” Dujarric said.
The UN official also confirmed that the offensive has not caused any injuries to the UNIFIL troops, nor did it cause any damage to their assets. He further insisted that “any actions that may endanger the safety and security of the peacekeepers are completely unacceptable and must cease immediately.”
For its part, the European Union (EU) issued a statement, denouncing the Israeli onslaught. Moreover, it urged all parties to abide by the ceasefire, and called on the IOF to withdraw from the entire Lebanese territory.
“The safety and security of UN personnel and premises must be ensured in accordance with international law and UN Security Council Resolution 1701,” the EU emphasized.
Hezbollah secretary-general defies the US disarmament ultimatum after Israel’s renewed aggression
Although Israel has not stopped attacking Lebanon, almost one year after the ceasefire deal took effect, Hezbollah emerged more determined than ever to hold on to armed resistance as a “strategic project”.
In an interview with Al-Manar TV, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheik Naim Qassem noted that there is a possibility the war with Israel would resume based on the calculations of the US administration and Netanyahu’s government. Yet, he stressed that the resumption of the war will not achieve any of Israel’s goals.
The Hezbollah leader reaffirmed that his group considers armed resistance an “integrated strategic project”, which reflects a clear vision for addressing various social and political issues, and depends on the will of the Lebanese people.
Qassem’s statements came as a response to Israel’s continuous violations of the ceasefire deal, amid culminating pressure by the US on the Lebanese state to completely disarm Hezbollah by the end of this year.
Read More: Lebanon begins disarmament of Palestinian resistance groups in refugee camps
On Tuesday, October 28, US ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, warned the Lebanese president, prime minister, and speaker of parliament “that they have one last chance” regarding the timeline needed to disarm Hezbollah.
“Either they learn their lesson and decide to enter into direct negotiations with Israel under US auspices, to establish a timetable and mechanism for disarming Hezbollah, or Lebanon will be left to its fate, and will remain so for a long time, with no one to care about it, neither in America nor in the region, and no one will be able to pressure Israel to prevent it from doing whatever it deems appropriate to undertake disarmament by force,” Barrack threatened the representatives of the Lebanese state. The comments were made the day before his arrival in Lebanon for further discussions on the matter.
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