Lebanese Minister of Culture: Raising the Israeli occupation flag on historical castles is an hostile and provocative act

Beirut, July 22 (KUNA) -- Lebanese Minister of Culture Ghassan Salama condemned on Wednesday the Israeli occupation forces’ raising of their flag on historic fortresses in the Jabal Amel area of southern Lebanon, describing the act as “a provocative move deserving condemnation.” In a post on his X account, Salama stated that the fortresses of Jabal Amel are “an integral part of Lebanon, which takes pride in them and will spare no effort to restore its sovereignty over them and to ensure the world recognizes that sovereignty.” He characterized the raising of the Israeli occupation flag on the Dubiyah fortress, as well as its prior raising on the Shma’a and Al-Shaqif fortresses, as “an hostile and unacceptable act.”

On the ground developments, the Lebanese National News Agency reported that an Israeli occupation drone launched a strike with four missiles targeting open land alongside the Litani River near the Al-Khardali road, without providing information on any casualties. The agency added that occupation forces carried out intensive machine-gun sweeps starting from the town of Khiam toward the Abl al-Saqi spring area, coinciding with a drone dropping a sound bomb and sweep operations targeting the town of Majdal Zoun in the south. (End) F.Z./R.J.