Israeli attacks kill 2 in Lebanon, threatening peace

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned on Saturday what he described as “attempts to draw Lebanon back into a cycle of violence.”
His comments followed an escalation earlier in the day when rockets were launched from southern Lebanon toward the Israeli settlement of Metula, opposite the Lebanese town of Kfar Kila.
In response, Israel targeted a house in the town of Tulin with artillery and airstrikes, killing two people, including a child.
Eight others were injured, among them two children.
Aoun said: “The events that occurred in the south in the morning, along with the ongoing escalation since Feb. 18, represent a persistent aggression against Lebanon and a significant blow to the rescue plan that has garnered consensus among the Lebanese people.”
This is the first incident of its kind to occur from Lebanese territory since the ceasefire came into effect on Nov. 27 last year, while Israeli violations of the agreement have continued unabated.
Aoun added: “These events necessitate a firm response,” warning that “any deterioration in the security situation could jeopardize national stability.”
He urged “relevant authorities in the south, particularly the committee overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the Lebanese Army, to take necessary measures to prevent any repercussions.”
Aoun also asked the army chief “to implement essential field actions to ensure the safety of citizens and to conduct an urgent investigation to clarify the circumstances of the incident, addressing it with complete transparency.”
He emphasized “the importance of controlling any violations or leniency that could pose a threat to civil peace during these critical times that Lebanon is experiencing.”
The Army Command said that “search-and-inspection operations” following the incident discovered three makeshift rocket launchers in the area north of the Litani River, between the towns of Kfar Tebnit and Arnoun in Nabatieh.
The rocket launchers were dismantled.
Army units continue to “implement necessary measures to stabilize the situation in the south,” it said.
Israel said that sirens were activated in the Metula settlement and the Iron Dome system intercepted three missiles.
Israeli media reported that rockets were fired from Qalaat Al-Shaqif, between Yahmar Al-Shaqif and Arnoun, in southern Lebanon.
In response, Israeli artillery targeted Lebanese border villages, including Kafr Kila and Khiam.
Yahmar Al-Shaqif in Nabatieh experienced sporadic shelling, which extended to the outskirts of Arnoun and Kafr Tibnit.
About 10 shells were reported to have landed in these areas, with artillery strikes also reaching Mays Al-Jabal and Blida.
Later, Israel’s Ministry of Defense said that the Israeli army will launch strikes on dozens of sites in Lebanon in response to the attack on Metula.
An Israeli military source said that the army “responds to any threat, regardless of who fires the shots.”
Two security sources told Israeli Army Radio that the army “has not yet completed its response and further attacks are expected in the coming hours.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel “will not allow rocket fire from Lebanon on the Galilee communities. The rule for Metula is the rule for Beirut.”
Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir said “the army will respond strongly to the attack. The Lebanese state bears responsibility for maintaining the ceasefire agreement.”
While Israel accused Hezbollah of orchestrating the attack, Lebanese media suggested Palestinian factions in Lebanon were behind the incident.
Hezbollah denied involvement, saying that “Israel was using the accusation to justify its continued attacks on Lebanon despite the ceasefire.”
In a separate statement, Hezbollah reiterated its “full commitment to the ceasefire agreement. We support the Lebanese government in addressing the dangerous Israeli escalation in Lebanon.”
In an interview with Al-Arabiya on Friday, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that “the ministerial statement clearly stipulates that the state would be the sole possessor of weapons,” adding that “the slogan ‘people, army, and resistance’ is now a thing of the past.”
Lebanese state authorities acted swiftly to prevent any deterioration of the situation at the border.
Aoun tasked Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Rajji with “carrying out Arab and international calls to convey Lebanon’s position on the developments in the south.”
These calls included “consultations with UNIFIL leadership to prevent any further escalation that could extend into Lebanon’s interior.”
Salam tasked Minister of Defense Michel Menassa with “taking necessary measures to assert that the state solely controls war and peace decisions,” according to his media office.
Salam also contacted Janine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Lebanon, urging the UN “to increase international pressure on Israel to fully withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories.”
Salam warned against “the resurgence of military operations on the southern border, and the risks that could drag the country into a new war, which would bring calamities upon Lebanon and its people.”
Parliament speaker Nabih Berri called on Lebanese authorities, including the Ceasefire Monitoring Committee, to uncover the circumstances of what happened in the south.
In a statement, he stressed that “the primary beneficiary of dragging Lebanon and the region into a major explosion is Israel, which has violated Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire terms with over 1,500 violations so far, while Lebanon and its resistance have fully adhered to all provisions of this agreement.”
Berri called on “political forces to cleanse political rhetoric, rally behind the state and its institutions, and be aware of the dangers posed by creating pretexts for the enemy through the stirring up of divisive sentiments, which open doors for the enemy to infiltrate and undermine Lebanon’s stability.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Rajji said that “Lebanon doesn’t seek escalation.”
He added: “The latest escalation poses a threat to security and stability in the region, and places Lebanon in confrontation with a regional military power, constituting a significant challenge to Lebanese political and diplomatic efforts.”
In a statement, UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti expressed deep concern over the possible escalation of hostilities in the area.
Tenenti said that UNIFIL is closely monitoring the situation, urging all parties “to refrain from taking any steps that might jeopardize the progress made in the ceasefire agreement.”