Israel’s cross-border raid in Lebanon adds to regional tensions amid Gaza ceasefire strain

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.

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