Families Flee Airstrikes
Hundreds of families fled towards Sidon on Saturday from towns and villages near the Israel-Hezbollah front, after Israeli airstrikes killed 11 people in Nabatieh district.
Footage shows heavy traffic on the road into Sidon, while the opposite direction is almost empty. Trucks loaded with belongings and mattresses, as well as vehicles carrying horses, can also be seen making their way towards the city.
Mahdi Hanini, displaced from Majdal Salim, said his family was forced to leave the village for fear of further Israeli military operations, adding that he expected the situation to escalate.
Amer Saleh Obeid, displaced from Nabatieh, said his family had been forced to relocate repeatedly over the years. He claimed they would be targeted by the Israeli army if they returned home.
Death Toll Rises
“It would be better if the situation escalated again than if we lost one of our people every day. May God help the people. If tensions escalate, we pray that God grants them victory,” he added.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said the death toll from Saturday’s Israeli airstrikes had risen to 11, with 19 others wounded. Seven people were killed in Ansar and four in Deir al-Zahrani.
The Israeli army said it had targeted “infrastructure belonging to the terrorist organisation Hezbollah in the Nabatieh and Ansar areas.” It said the strikes were in response to an operation carried out by Hezbollah against its forces in the Ali al-Taher Heights area.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the attacks, describing them as “violations that send a clear message regarding the negotiation process and US efforts aimed at implementing the framework agreement.”
Peace Talks Continue
The seventh round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel ended in Rome last week under US auspices. The talks centred on an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, the deployment of the Lebanese Army and the future of Hezbollah’s arsenal.
The negotiations are taking place under the Framework Agreement signed on June 26. It sets out a phased process linking the restoration of Lebanese state authority and the verified disarmament of non-state armed groups to the gradual redeployment of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory, beginning with pilot zones.
Lebanon is demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal and the restoration of state sovereignty across the south. Israel says its withdrawal depends on the verified disarmament of Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups, along with further security arrangements.
Hezbollah is not taking part in the talks and has rejected the process, accusing the Lebanese government of bowing to US and Israeli pressure.
Article by Viory
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