Israeli forces crossed into southern Lebanon overnight, killing a municipal employee in a border town raid that prompted Lebanon’s president to order the army to confront any future incursions, state media said on Thursday.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that Israeli troops entered the town of Blida around 1:30 a.m. (2330 GMT Wednesday), stormed the town hall and killed Ibrahim Salameh, a municipal worker who had been sleeping inside. The troops withdrew about two-and-a-half hours later.
The Israeli military confirmed its forces operated in the area, saying they fired after identifying “an immediate threat” while destroying Hezbollah infrastructure. The incident was under review, it added.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the attack as part of “a pattern of Israeli aggression” and said it came just hours after a meeting of the committee monitoring the cessation of hostilities.
He urged the international committee to press Israel to abide by the November 2024 ceasefire agreement and halt its “repeated violations of Lebanese sovereignty.”
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called the incursion “a blatant attack on the institutions and sovereignty of the Lebanese state.”
The Lebanese army has deployed to the area, while the UN peacekeeping mission said it was seeking details of the incident.
Israel has continued limited strikes and ground operations in Lebanon despite the ceasefire that ended fighting with Hezbollah nearly a year ago, saying they are aimed at preventing the group from rebuilding its military infrastructure.
Renewed Israeli strikes test Gaza ceasefire
The overnight raid in Lebanon comes as Israel faces growing pressure over its military actions in Gaza, where strikes have continued despite its stated commitment to a U.S.-backed ceasefire with Hamas.
Palestinian witnesses said Israeli planes carried out at least 10 airstrikes east of Khan Younis on Thursday, while tanks shelled areas east of Gaza City. No casualties were reported.
The Israeli military said it targeted “terrorist infrastructure that posed a threat to troops” in areas it still controls.
The latest strikes follow Israel’s bombardments earlier in the week that Gaza’s health ministry said killed 104 people, including 46 children and 20 women. Israel said it was responding to the death of a soldier killed in an attack near the “yellow line” buffer zone established under the ceasefire.
Hamas denied carrying out the attack, accusing Israel of fabricating pretexts to justify renewed assaults.
Sources close to international mediators said U.S. and regional officials intervened overnight to restore calm as both sides traded blame for violations.
The Gaza ceasefire, in effect since 10 October, is now under its most serious strain yet — and with Israel’s cross-border raid into Lebanon, fears are growing that the fragile calm could unravel into a wider confrontation across multiple fronts.
Russia says several “unfriendly” countries approached its delegation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg with concrete proposals for economic cooper...
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says he will urge Vladimir Putin to revive the Black Sea grain deal and discuss fresh efforts to end the war in Ukrai...
An Israeli airstrike on a southern Beirut suburb has targeted senior Hezbollah figure Ali Tabtabai, with at least four people killed and dozens injure...
Ukrainian drones hit the Shatura heat and power station in the Moscow region on Sunday (23 November), causing a major fire and cutting heating for tho...
COP30 ended in Brazil with a compromise agreement that expands financial support for countries facing the sharpest climate impacts, after tense negoti...
European, Ukrainian and U.S. officials met in Geneva on Sunday to examine Washington’s draft plan to end the war in Ukraine. The proposal has raised concern in Kyiv and among its allies, who say it includes major concessions to Russia.
An Israeli airstrike on a southern Beirut suburb has targeted senior Hezbollah figure Ali Tabtabai, with at least four people killed and dozens injured, raising fresh questions over the durability of the year-old U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
Global media outlets have extensively covered the C5+1 Summit held in Washington, highlighting its significant outcomes for both the United States and Central Asian countries.
COP30 ended in Brazil with a compromise agreement that expands financial support for countries facing the sharpest climate impacts, after tense negotiations stretched beyond the summit’s deadline.
An Indian Tejas fighter jet crashed in a ball of fire during an aerial display at the Dubai Airshow on Friday (November 21), leaving spectators in shock.
The United States is preparing to launch a new round of Venezuela-related operations in the coming days, as President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies efforts to pressure President Nicolás Maduro’s government and targets what it calls Venezuela’s role in the regional drug trade.
Air traffic at Eindhoven Airport in the southern Netherlands was suspended on Saturday evening after multiple drones were sighted near the facility, prompting the deployment of counter-drone systems and raising fresh alarm over airspace security in Europe.
President Donald Trump said on Friday that he will soon speak with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, amid speculation that the U.S. could launch an attack on the Latin American nation.
U.S. President Donald Trump is meeting New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House to discuss housing, food security, and other affordability issues facing the city.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says he will urge Vladimir Putin to revive the Black Sea grain deal and discuss fresh efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian drones hit the Shatura heat and power station in the Moscow region on Sunday (23 November), causing a major fire and cutting heating for thousands.
Voters in Bosnia’s Serb Republic cast ballots for a new president in a snap election on Sunday (23 November), called after former leader Milorad Dodik was removed and barred from politics.
The Amazon River’s future is increasingly defined by the condition of the wider Amazon Basin, a forest system that anchors the river’s rainfall, biodiversity and hydrological balance. Scientists warn the relationship has entered a fragile phase.
McLaren’s Lando Norris mastered the wet conditions under the lights of Las Vegas to secure pole position for Saturday’s Grand Prix, beating Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in a tense and slippery qualifying session that could prove pivotal in the championship race.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment