Damage caused by an Israeli strike on the village of Bint Jbeil in December 2023. (Credit: AFP)
In an unprecedented move, Israeli drones equipped with speakers flew over the Bint Jbeil district Thursday evening, broadcasting an Arabic recorded message that incited residents against Hezbollah, reported our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah and residents in the region.
In an audio recording, Israel called on southerners to blame Hezbollah and its secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, for the Israeli attacks on Lebanon. “This is thanks to Hezbollah and Hassan Nasrallah,” the message, which played on a loop, stated. Residents of Ainata, in the Bint Jbeil district, claimed to have also heard the message broadcasted by the drone.
On Friday morning, a video showing a drone flying over Bint Jbeil and broadcasting similar messages circulated on social networks. Contacted by our correspondent, the presidents of the municipality of Bint Jbeil and the locality of Kounin, however, said they had neither seen a drone nor heard messages similar to those aired on Thursday.
Since the beginning of the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel in October 2023, Israel has intensified its psychological warfare. In recent weeks, Israeli fighter jets have repeatedly broken the sound barrier over Lebanon, causing loud detonations that have sown panic.
Additionally, several Israeli officials began targeting Lebanese in their messages. On Thursday, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant wrote an Arabic-language message on social media disparaging Hezbollah as having “caused destruction, panic and instability throughout Lebanon.” Since Shukur's assassination, the Israeli army’s Arabic-speaking spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, has consistently released daily messages on his social media addressing the Lebanese and challenging them to oppose Hezbollah.