Israel Kills Lebanese Municipal Worker in Cross-Border Raid, Lebanon Orders Army to Confront Incursions

Israeli ground troops carried out a rare pre-dawn raid in the Lebanese border village of Blida.

“The Israeli military conducted a raid in southern Lebanon's Blida municipality, killing a municipal worker, Ibrahim Salameh, who was sleeping on duty”

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They stormed the municipality building after advancing roughly a kilometer into Lebanese territory and killed municipal worker Ibrahim Salameh.

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The Israeli military confirmed the operation, stating it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure and that soldiers fired on a suspect posing an immediate threat.

Lebanese reports said Salameh had been sleeping in the building at the time of the raid.

The raid lasted several hours and damaged the municipal facility.

It coincided with other actions, including the demolition of a religious hall in nearby Adaisseh and low-flying drones over parts of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s suburbs, according to multiple outlets.

Lebanon’s leadership condemned the raid as a violation of sovereignty and ordered a tougher posture.

President Joseph Aoun directed the army to confront future incursions, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam denounced the attack.

Al Jazeera

Local residents protested and criticized the army and UN peacekeepers.

UNIFIL expressed concern, calling the raid a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

Beirut pressed international mechanisms to halt what it called repeated Israeli breaches.

Some accounts also noted drones over Beirut and additional strikes and demolitions in southern villages.

The raid unfolded despite a ceasefire with Hezbollah in place since November 2024.

“The article states that Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement over 4,500 times since its inception, continuing its occupation of Lebanese territories and ignoring the agreement's terms”

Al-Jazeera Net

Multiple outlets report Israel has maintained positions and intensified strikes in southern Lebanon.

UN tallies cite 111 Lebanese civilian deaths since the truce.

In parallel, Washington has pushed for Lebanon to bring all weapons under state control and disarm Hezbollah by year‑end.

This plan has been welcomed by U.S. officials and reported across Western mainstream and alternative outlets.

Other accounts underscore Israel’s claim that Hezbollah uses civilian buildings for militant activities.

These include allegations that the Blida municipality served such purposes and that strikes also hit a launcher and tunnel shaft.

Casualty figures and the scale of post‑ceasefire violence are reported very differently.

Some West Asian and other outlets say Israeli attacks since October 2023 caused over 4,000 deaths and nearly 17,000 injuries.

AL-Monitor

These sources also claim that Israel violated the truce thousands of times and that withdrawal obligations were not fulfilled, with five outposts still occupied.

Others, including Western mainstream and alternative sources, focus on the UN figure of 111 Lebanese civilians killed since the November 2024 ceasefire.

An additional West Asian account cites roughly 300 deaths and 650 injuries since the ceasefire, reflecting wide disparities in tallies and framing.

Key facts about Salameh’s killing remain contested.

“Lebanese army forces recovered the body of a deceased officer following an Israeli withdrawal, with no immediate response from the Israeli military”

Anadolu Ajansı

While multiple reports say he was sleeping in the municipal building, others say he was shot while looking outside after hearing noise.

Anadolu Ajansı

Israeli accounts say troops tried to apprehend a suspect and opened fire when they perceived an immediate threat.

Some sources add that Israel accused Hezbollah of using the municipal hall as civilian cover.

Lebanese and regional outlets denounce the killing as a crime and a breach of sovereignty.

Tensions were further stoked by reported disputes between Israel and UN peacekeepers over a drone incident at the border.

This underscores the fragility of the ceasefire monitoring environment.