Israel launches wave of strikes on southern Lebanon
Washington – Agencies: The Israeli army announced yesterday the launch of precise strikes on southern Lebanon in response to what it described as a blatant violation of the ceasefire by Hezbollah. In a brief statement, the army said, “In response to a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement by the terrorist organization Hezbollah, the Israeli army has begun executing precise strikes in southern Lebanon.” The statement came shortly after the army issued an evacuation order for the village of Mansouri in southern Lebanon.
This development occurred as Lebanon and Israel continued yesterday, on the second day of the seventh round of negotiations in Rome under US sponsorship in the Italian capital, to discuss enhancing the implementation of the framework agreement signed on June 26. The Tuesday meetings did not yield a breakthrough, particularly due to Israel’s refusal to expand experimental zones in southern Lebanon.
Amid ongoing Israeli bombing, demolition, and arson operations in border villages in the south, Lebanon failed to secure an Israeli commitment to halt these attacks, nor did it obtain a firm US guarantee to exert serious pressure in that direction or to agree on new experimental towns. The Lebanese side had proposed Bint Jbeil or Al-Khiam to be included in the experimental zones, a request met with US understanding, but several issues remained unresolved, particularly regarding the supervision mechanism and Israeli movements.
Sources in the Lebanese presidency stated that discussions during the Rome negotiations yesterday were divided into military and political sessions. Politically, the border issue was discussed, while militarily, the verification mechanism and the role of a third party responsible for oversight were debated. The sources noted that Lebanon requested a complete halt to Israeli military operations during yesterday’s meeting, including bulldozing, house demolitions, and destruction. They argued that if the occupation cites the presence of tunnels or military facilities as justification for airstrikes, these could be addressed through other means rather than bombing, which has repercussions on the soil and land, as well as negative impacts across multiple levels.
Meanwhile, more than 800,000 Lebanese displaced by the war between Hezbollah and Israel have returned to their areas, according to the United Nations, following a decline in violence in southern Lebanon. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated in a report that 821,077 people had begun returning to their original areas by July 30, while over 360,000 people remain displaced, with approximately 26,000 staying in government shelters. OCHA noted that damage to water and electricity infrastructure caused by the war has severely affected access to water for more than 700,000 people in southern Lebanon, the region that witnessed the majority of displacement during the conflict.
