Lebanese authorities on Thursday condemned a new Israeli attack on a town in the country’s south that left at least one person injured, but the Israeli military blamed it on a “failure in arms trafficking” by the Lebanese Shi’ite militia Hezbollah and rejected any radical attack.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health condemned the incident in a short statement broadcast by state news agency NNA, noting that the attack took place in the town of Tours in the Nabatieh region.
Avichai Adlai, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman, called the accusations on the social network’s X account “false.”
He also reiterated his defense, attributing the “vehicle explosion” to Hezbollah as a “failure in arms smuggling” and claiming that the Shiite group “continues to violate the cease-fire agreement” reached in November 2024, and that “its members are operating under the cover of civilians, putting the Lebanese people at risk.”
Earlier this week, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem reiterated his refusal to hand over weapons, declaring that “we cannot tolerate it much longer” in connection with the Israeli attack, claiming that Israeli authorities “want to control Lebanon’s future (and) want the country to be left without deterrence.”
Israel has launched dozens of bombing raids against Lebanon despite the agreed ceasefire, claiming it opposes Hezbollah’s activities and thus guarantees not to violate the agreement, although both Beirut and Hezbollah have criticized these actions, and they have also been condemned by the United Nations.
The ceasefire, agreed after months of fighting following the October 7, 2023 attack, contemplated that both Israel and Hezbollah would have to withdraw their troops from southern Lebanon. However, the Israeli military maintains five military posts on the territory of the neighboring country, which has also been criticized by Lebanese authorities and Shiite groups who have called for an end to this presence.
About The Author
