A sudden surge in violence occurred on Thursday evening in Southern Lebanon and the Bekaa, where the Israeli army launched a series of strikes on Hezbollah sites, according to its spokesperson.
This escalation comes just two days before municipal elections scheduled in Southern Lebanon and three days ahead of the arrival in Beirut of Morgan Ortagus, the U.S. President’s Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East.
The Israeli military first targeted a building in the village of Toul, in the Nabatieh district of Southern Lebanon, where a rush to flee the area was reported following an Israeli call to evacuate the targeted site.
The Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, first posted on his official X account an urgent warning directed at civilians in Toul.
The warning specified that all individuals present in the building marked in red on a map he shared, as well as those in nearby buildings, must evacuate immediately. The spokesperson emphasized that these locations are near facilities affiliated with the terrorist group Hezbollah.
“For your safety and the safety of your families, you are required to evacuate these buildings immediately and move at least 500 meters away, as shown on the map,” the statement read.
Reports from the area indicate that gunfire was heard, underscoring the urgency for residents to evacuate without delay.
Additionally, there has been heavy displacement within the town of Toul, accompanied by intense Israeli military aircraft activity overhead, heightening the tense atmosphere in the region.
An hour later, Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes on the targeted building.
In a second statement on X, Adraee said that the targeted building “is a military site containing rocket launchers and Hezbollah weaponry.”
He said that the raids were launched “after detecting Hezbollah activity at the location.” “The Israeli army also targeted terrorist infrastructure and rocket and missile launchers belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon,” he added.
Adraee emphasized that “the presence of weaponry and Hezbollah operatives’ activities at these sites constitute blatant violations of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.” He reaffirmed that Tel Aviv “will continue to act to eliminate any threat to the state of Israel and prevent any attempt by Hezbollah to establish a foothold.”
Shortly afterward, a series of Israeli airstrikes were carried out on Touline and Sawaneh in the Bint Jbeil district, the Rihane heights and the Borghoz Valley in the Hasbaya district, as well as Zebqine, Henniyeh, Mahmoudiyeh, Chamaa, and the Aaziyeh Valley in the Tyre district of Southern Lebanon. Strikes also targeted areas in Iqlim al-Tuffah and the Bekaa region, including the heights of Bouday.
In the evening, Hezbollah released a statement from its deputy leader, Naim Qassem, calling on the residents of Southern Lebanon to….turn out in large numbers for Saturday’s municipal elections.
He didn’t say a word was said about the Israeli strikes. These were condemned by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who denounced the repeated Israeli attacks on Lebanon. According to him, this surge in violence "will in no way undermine the state’s commitment to uphold the electoral deadline and to protect Lebanon."
Salam called on the international community to intensify pressure on Israel to immediately halt its aggression and to fully withdraw from Lebanese territory, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.
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