Two Martyrs in Israeli Airstrikes and Ongoing Escalation in Southern Lebanon

SadaNews - Two Lebanese citizens were martyred and another was injured today, Sunday, in two separate Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon; the first targeted a motorcycle in the town of Yater, and the second hit a car between the towns of Safad al-Batikh and Barashit, marking a new escalation of Israeli assaults on southern regions.

Additionally, an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle in the town of Joya, with the toll from the attack still unknown; while the Israeli army stated that it targeted three members of Hezbollah in various areas of southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army, in a statement, said that its forces "attacked, since the morning hours (Sunday), three elements of the Hezbollah organization in different areas of southern Lebanon."

It claimed that the targets "were working on attempts to restore the infrastructure for the Hezbollah organization, and that their activities constituted a violation of existing understandings between Israel and Lebanon."

The occupying army concluded its statement by stating that "the army will continue to act to eliminate any threat and defend the state of Israel."

In a related context, an Israeli drone dropped bombs on two excavators in the town of Shebaa in southern Lebanon this morning, while the occupation's site in Ramtha was targeted with bursts from machine guns.

Local sources reported that the artillery of the Israeli occupation army targeted the Shanouh farm and Wadi Elias on the outskirts of the town of Halta, which belongs to the municipality of Kfarshouba in the Nabatieh governorate in southern Lebanon.

This comes at a time when the Israeli occupation forces intensified, throughout the night and into the morning hours, their reconnaissance aircraft over the Tyre area, particularly over the town of Yanuoh, according to reports from the National News Agency.

The agency indicated that a unit from the Lebanese army remains stationed around a house that was threatened by Israel yesterday, while security forces established checkpoints at the entrances to the town.

Earlier this morning, the agency reported that the Israeli drone was flying at very low altitude over the villages of Zahle, as part of intensive aerial movements in several areas of the south.

In this context, the Lebanese army issued a statement announcing that, in coordination between the military institution, the monitoring committee for the ceasefire agreement "the Mechanism", and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a thorough inspection of one of the buildings in the town of Yanuoh was conducted with the owner's consent, revealing no weapons or ammunition.

The statement added that after the army left the location, an Israeli threat was received to bomb the same building, which necessitated the presence of a military patrol that re-inspected it without finding any weapons or ammunition, and remained stationed around the house to prevent it from being targeted.

The army leadership praised the trust and cooperation of the residents and thanked the monitoring committee for the ceasefire agreement for communications that led, in coordination with the army command, to the cessation of the threat at this time, pointing out that army personnel are still stationed around the house until now.

The Lebanese army leadership emphasized that this incident highlights the importance of unifying efforts and national solidarity with the army, and commitment to Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire agreement, in coordination with the monitoring committee and UNIFIL, during what it described as a "difficult and sensitive" phase.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) had announced on Saturday that its elements accompanied the Lebanese army to one of the houses in the town to support the inspection process, while its spokesperson, Candice Ardil, stated that the peacekeeping forces did not enter any buildings and left the area immediately after the operation was completed.

Earlier, the Israeli army had issued an urgent warning to the residents of the village of Yanuoh, urging them to evacuate a building and its surroundings, claiming its intention to target what it described as "military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah", before later announcing a temporary freeze on the targeting.

This escalation comes amid growing Israeli talk about preparations for military escalation, allegedly due to the "growing capabilities of Hezbollah", amidst plans to launch a large attack "if the Lebanese government fails to disarm it before the end of 2025", despite the party's demand for the Israeli army to withdraw from Lebanese territory.