Video: The first Lebanese army soldier was killed as a result of an Israeli bombing since the start of the war in Gaza

A Lebanese soldier was killed and three others were injured as a result of an Israeli bombing that targeted a military center in the south of the country on Tuesday, according to what the Lebanese army announced, making it the first death from the military institution since the start of the escalation on the southern border.

The army reported that a military center affiliated with it in “the area of ​​Nabi Aweida – Al-Adisa (was) bombed by the Israeli enemy, which led to the martyrdom of a soldier and the injury of three others, who were transferred to a hospital for treatment.”

For its part, the Israeli army confirmed its responsibility for this bombing, but stressed that the target was not the Lebanese army, but rather a Hezbollah site that was bombed by Israeli forces “to eliminate an imminent threat.” The Israeli army said in a post on the X platform (formerly Twitter) that “the Lebanese Armed Forces were not the target of the strike,” expressing its “regret over the incident.”

Later Tuesday, an Israeli bombing targeting a poultry farm resulted in the death of a Syrian worker, according to what the official Lebanese National News Agency announced. A local official confirmed the death.

The border region in southern Lebanon has witnessed a worsening military escalation between Israel and Hezbollah since the Hamas movement launched an unprecedented attack on October 7, which responded with devastating bombing and a massive ground operation in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Hezbollah mainly carries out daily operations against Israeli military targets near the border, placing this within the framework of supporting the Gaza Strip and “in support of its resistance.” Israel responds by bombing border areas, targeting what it describes as the movements of Hezbollah fighters and its infrastructure near the border.

The National News Agency announced on Tuesday that Israeli bombing and air strikes targeted various areas of southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah claimed responsibility for several attacks on Israeli sites and soldiers. Since the start of the escalation, the vicinity of several Lebanese Army points has been hit by shells, one of which on October 9 resulted in an officer being slightly injured.

In turn, the United Nations Interim Force in South Lebanon (UNIFIL) repeatedly announced that its headquarters were exposed to fire and missiles during the exchange of bombing.

Commenting on the killing of the Lebanese soldier, UNIFIL stated in a statement that “the Lebanese army did not engage in the conflict with Israel. In recent days, we have witnessed a rapid and alarming increase in violence. We continue to urge those exchanging fire along the Blue Line to end “A cycle of violence, which can lead to dire consequences for people on both sides of the Blue Line.”

The escalation in southern Lebanon resulted in the killing of more than 110 people, including 80 fighters in the ranks of Hezbollah and at least 15 civilians, including three journalists, according to a tally prepared by Agence France-Presse. The Israeli authorities reported that nine people were killed, including three civilians.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701

This targeting of the Lebanese army comes hours after Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced that “negotiations will take place through the United Nations for greater stability on the southern Lebanese border, starting with completing the implementation of Resolution 1701 and reaching agreement, through the United Nations, on the controversial points.” border with the Israeli enemy.

Since the start of the escalation, several local and international bodies, most notably Washington, have called for the necessity of implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which strengthened the deployment of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon following the end of the July 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.

According to this decision, the Lebanese army was deployed for the first time in decades on the border with Israel. The decision prohibited any armed deployment in the border area outside the army and UNIFIL forces.

Hezbollah does not have any visible military presence in the Lebanese border region, but it has built hideouts and tunnels through which its members move, some of which cross the border. At the end of 2018, Israel announced the destruction of tunnels it accused the party of digging across the border.

Mikati explained, “This issue is essential in order to spare Lebanon from any war that we do not know where it will lead (…) We hope that in the next three months we will reach a stage of complete stability on our borders.”

Additional sources • AFP