Lebanon16 August, 20263 min read
Israel Bombs Southern Lebanon, Killing At Least 11 in Nabatieh District
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Israeli bombing in southern Lebanon killed at least 11 people in Nabatieh district. It was the worst attack since the June US-brokered ceasefire renewal.
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Attacks after ceasefire
Lebanese leaders condemned Israeli bombing of southern Lebanon that killed at least 11 people, with Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health saying the deaths occurred on Saturday in the southern district of Nabatieh. Al Jazeera reported that Lebanon’s National News Agency said seven people were killed and three wounded when Israeli warplanes struck a house on the outskirts of Ansar village, destroying the building, and that four other people were killed in a strike on Deir al-Zahrani. The Israeli army carried out an air strike on the Ali al-Taher ridge in the Nabatieh district near the UNESCO-listed Beaufort Castle, and Al-Manar said the blasts were a result of Israeli air attacks while the Nabatieh news channel reported the raids took place near Kfar Reman.
Ziad Abu Rish, an associate professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Bard College in the US state of New York, told Al Jazeera that most observers believe Netanyahu wants to escalate strikes on Lebanon “to demonstrate an undeterred resolve” to occupy the country’s south and to “pummel” Hezbollah and Lebanese civilians. In the same Al Jazeera account, Abu Rish said the pattern since the “so-called ceasefire” has left Israel “allowed by the US” to attack Hezbollah and civilians in Lebanon “without any consequences.”
Framework and US role
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday that Lebanon would not back away from a framework agreement with Israel and was counting on the US to help implement it as Beirut prepared for another round of negotiations with Israel.
Aoun said, “There are difficulties with this framework, but we do not want to back away from it,” and he added, “We are counting on the US. It is the sponsor of this agreement, and it is serious and committed and doing everything it can.”
An Al Jazeera account tied the latest escalation to ceasefire terms, saying the June 4 ceasefire was contingent on a “complete cessation” of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of its fighters, while the June 26 framework agreement did not specifically call for withdrawal and instead tied it to the disarmament of Hezbollah.
The Jerusalem Post quoted a US State Department spokesperson saying the “pilot zone” process remains the only viable path toward achieving long-term peace and security for both Lebanon and Israel, and that Hezbollah’s disarmament is an essential component of the framework.
The Jerusalem Post also reported the spokesperson saying, “This is precisely why Hezbollah must be disarmed and dismantled,” as Washington framed Hezbollah as the central obstacle to Lebanon’s stability.
What comes next
As Israeli attacks continued despite the June 26 framework, Arab News reported that a Lebanese official said Beirut was concerned only with what it achieved through direct negotiations with Israel under US sponsorship and that “We have nothing to do with any other negotiating process.” The same Arab News account said the Lebanese official described Israel’s justification for continued aggression under an “imminent threat” provision as an “elastic concept” that Israel continues to use to justify its attacks. Arab News also reported that Israel’s Channel 12 said the Israeli army was preparing for the possibility of several days of renewed fighting, with a focus on destroying Hezbollah infrastructure in the Ali Al-Taher Heights.
The article further said Channel 12 reported Israeli authorities viewed a tunnel complex in the area to be a target that cannot be left intact, and it claimed the Israeli army had prevented attempts by Hezbollah to assist those who were trapped. In the Al Jazeera account, Ziad Abu Rish said the attacks follow a pattern since the “so-called ceasefire” in which Israel is “allowed by the US” to attack Hezbollah and civilians in Lebanon “without any consequences,” while Lebanon and Israel were planning another round of talks next month.