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Deadly strikes in Nabatieh
Israel continued violations of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon, intensifying bombings and the destruction of houses in occupied southern villages and launching more drone strikes, culminating in a massacre in Upper Nabatieh that left four civilians dead, including three women.
An Israeli drone strike using a guided missile targeted a car in Upper Nabatieh in which four people were inside, killing them, a toll later confirmed by the Ministry of Health.
The dead were the principal of a public school, along with her mother, a foreign domestic worker, and a Syrian worker, and the drone struck them while they were in the principal's car returning from inspecting the family's home in Upper Nabatieh.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that the total cumulative toll of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon had risen to 4,319 dead and 12,203 wounded since the start of the war.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese army began logistical preparations for deployment in the 'experimental areas', as the Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri praised the positions of border villages' Christian residents who reject annexation of their villages to Israel.
Netanyahu annexation claim
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Fox News that “Christian villages in Lebanon, some of them have actually asked to be annexed to Israel,” because Israel protects them against Hezbollah.
Alberto Fernández, a former U.S. ambassador and contributor to EWTN News, said Netanyahu’s claim “only makes sense within the context of him trying to look good to his own Israeli audience.”
Lebanese officials and Christian village leaders rejected the allegation, with Hanna al-Amil, the mayor of Rmeish, telling Lebanon’s National News Agency that Netanyahu’s claim was “completely false,” and adding that “Such a request is completely out of the question.”
Arab News reported that Christian leaders from about 13 Christian-majority border villages insisted their futures lie solely with the Lebanese state, and quoted Gaby Al-Hajj saying, “That left us at the mercy of illegal weapons, and we are paying for it now.”
Framework, withdrawal, and stakes
The Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, during a video call with the American Working Group for Lebanon, stressed the importance of pressuring Israel to withdraw from the areas it occupies in Lebanon, saying the occupation's continuation “undermines the state's legitimacy and prevents the army's deployment.”
After a cabinet meeting chaired by Nawaf Salam, Information Minister Paul Marqus said the initial direct material cost of the war and Israeli bombardment is estimated at about 3 to 4 billion dollars, excluding economic losses and indirect damages.
In parallel, the Lebanese Army leadership began preparing logistical and operational measures required for deployment in the first 'experimental' areas from which Israel's withdrawal will begin, after the American side completed its preparations for field supervision of the implementation.
The American Working Group call and the Speaker Nabih Berri’s praise of Christian border villages’ rejection of annexation were paired with Israeli statements that it has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon, while the framework agreement described Israel’s actions as a consequence of the threat posed by groups like Hezbollah.
The stakes described in the sources included whether Lebanese forces can deploy in the occupied areas and whether the occupation continues to block that deployment, alongside the ongoing dispute over whether border communities seek annexation or remain committed to the Lebanese state.
