Lebanon15 September, 20262 min read
Israeli Apache Helicopter Strikes Commercial Center Near Mayfadoun as IDF Expands Attacks in Southern Lebanon
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Apache helicopter strike hit a commercial centre near Mayfadoun in southern Lebanon. Israeli attacks continue across southern Lebanon as IDF expands operations amid US-mediated ceasefire framework.
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Apache Strikes, Shelling Continues
Israeli strikes and shelling continued across southern Lebanon despite a US-brokered ceasefire framework, with an Israeli Apache helicopter striking a commercial centre near Mayfadoun. An Israeli Apache helicopter struck a commercial center on the main road between the towns of Shuqayq and Mefdoun, and the helicopter renewed its strike on the same center a second time within less than 10 minutes. The Israeli army claimed its strikes came in response to Hezbollah launching a booby-trapped drone at its forces entrenched in what it calls the southern Lebanon security zone.
Israel widened its air strikes, artillery shelling, and爆炸 operations in southern Lebanon in a new escalation targeting infrastructure and residential areas. South Lebanon was hit by a series of Israeli air strikes and artillery shelling from Sunday evening until Monday morning, targeting towns and several areas.
Drone Retaliation Claims
The Israeli army said it attacked infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah overnight in response to an explosive-laden drone launched towards its forces in the so-called security zone in south Lebanon. The Israeli army responded by launching airstrikes against "Hezbollah targets" in several areas of southern Lebanon. The IDF struck Hezbollah targets in several areas of Southern Lebanon after an explosive drone was launched toward IDF soldiers in the Security Zone, and it said no injuries were reported.
The Israeli army claimed it attacked air targets belonging to Hezbollah in several areas in southern Lebanon, claiming that among them are sites used by party members to launch booby-trapped drones and anti-tank missiles. A commercial center on the main road between Shuqin and Mivd’on was struck by two airstrikes, causing damage to storefronts and residential apartments, while medics at the scene survived without any reported injuries.
Ceasefire, UNIFIL, and Talks
The escalation unfolded amid stalled direct Lebanese-Israeli negotiations under American mediation, and it said the term of UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, nears its end this year. The Israeli army threatened to use “great force” in response to any attack launched from Lebanese territory, after its claim of hitting a site in the Sajd area that it said is a weapons depot for Hezbollah. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam was set to visit Washington to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss ways to curb the escalation, the negotiation path, and the issue of international support for the Lebanese army.
Salam said, “the Lebanese state alone speaks for Lebanon,” and it said he asserted that the country “will not accept being a battleground for conflicts or a bargaining chip.” Salam reiterated that Lebanon is negotiating to “regain its lands and full sovereignty,” while warning about the danger of a security vacuum in the south after UNIFIL’s mission ends.