Thick smoke rises after an Israeli strike near Zawtar, in the Nabatieh district of South Lebanon, on September 21, 2024. Photo credit: AFP/AMMAR AMMAR.
From morning to evening and almost without interruption, the Israeli army shelled several regions of Lebanon on Saturday, killing a Syrian worker in southern Lebanon in the morning and injuring four others, one seriously, according to reports from the Ministry of Health.
It marks the most violent day for Lebanon in terms of the number of Israeli strikes since October 8, when Hezbollah opened a 'support front' in support of Hamas against Israel.
This day comes after a particularly violent week, notably following the widespread explosions of Hezbollah beepers and walkie-talkies across Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday, which resulted in 39 deaths and 2,929 people injured, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Health on Saturday morning. On Friday 37 people were killed, including two high-ranking Hezbollah commanders, and 68 people were injured, after a Israeli air strike on an apartment block in Beirut's southern suburbs. More than 20 people remain missing.
'Delicate and dangerous' situation
At the end of an extraordinary meeting of Lebanon's Central Security Council, outgoing Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi stated that the country’s security situation was "delicate and dangerous" and that security and military forces were required to actively monitor any suspicious movements to prevent violations or attacks on residential areas. He called on Saturday for "constant vigilance and total preparedness." In such a context, several airlines have canceled flights to and from Beirut.
In the afternoon, outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati canceled his trip to New York and his participation in the United Nations General Assembly. "I have decided not to travel and have agreed, after consultation and coordination with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the urgent diplomatic actions to be taken at this stage," he stated in a press release, emphasizing the need to "end the massacres committed by the Israeli enemy and the multi-modal wars it is waging."
Violent strikes in southern Lebanon
In the morning, an Israeli drone killed a Syrian worker on a motorcycle in the town of Hamoul, near Naqoura (Tyre district) in southern Lebanon. Israeli artillery also targeted the village of Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil), and an Israeli raid struck the locality of Libbaya in West Bekaa.
Numerous Israeli air raids then followed along the Litani River, targeting forested areas, valleys, and hills in the regions of Khardali, Mahmoudiyeh, and Jabal al Rayane (Jezzine district). The strikes also reached the hills of Jabbour and Wadi Bourghoz (Hasbaya district), as well as the valleys surrounding the Deir Zahrani area (Nabatiyeh), according to security sources cited by our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah.
The hostilities did not stop there. Within just one hour, many areas were bombarded: between Zaoutar (Nabatiyeh) and Deir Seriane (Marjeyoun), orchards between the villages of Adloun and Abou al-Assouad (Saida), areas between the villages of Zrariyeh and Ansar (Saida), another between Kounine and Ainata (Bint Jbeil), and also Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun).
The surroundings of Qotrani, the village of Mahmoudiyeh, and the heights of Jabal al-Rihane (Jezzine), Tayr Harfa, and Alma al-Shaab (Tyre), a valley between Deir al-Zahrani and Roumine (Nabatiyeh), the village of Houmine al-Faouqa (Nabatiyeh), the valley between Nmairiyeh and Zefta al-Charkiyeh (Nabatiyeh), and the heights of Iqlim al-Touffah.
Hezbollah attacks
Hezbollah on its end claimed responsibility for about ten attacks against Israel during the day. It stated that at 11:10 AM, it targeted the position of Jal al-Alam (across from Naqoura, in the Tyre district) with artillery shells. It then launched Katyusha rockets at the 'main air defense missile base' of the Israeli northern command at the Beria barracks and at the position of the '631st reconnaissance battalion of the Golani brigade' in the Ramot Naftali barracks, facing the Lebanese village of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil district).
Other Israeli sites, such as the Ramot Naftali barracks, Zarit, areas in the contested hills of Kfar Shuba, and the contested Shebaa Farms were also targeted by Hezbollah throughout the evening. The Israeli army stated at 5 P.M. that Hezbollah had fired approximately 90 rockets towards Israel today.
The party also announced overnight from Friday to Saturday the deaths of 14 of its members in the deadly Israeli strike on the southern suburbs the day before, aside from the two commanders Ibrahim Aqil and Ahmed Mahmoud Wehbe. The former was the leader of the elite Radwan unit, while the latter led Radwan's military operations on the Lebanese support front from the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Flood battle until the beginning of 2024.
Strikes intensify in the evening
On Saturday evening, around 8 P.M., a new series of violent and repeated Israeli strikes targeted southern Lebanon and Bekaa: the localities of Haris (Nabatiyeh district), Deir Amess (Tyre), Tefahta (Zahrani), and Mount Rihane (Jezzine), an area between Deir al-Zahrani and Roumine (Nabatiyeh), the surroundings of Kfar Melki in Iqlim el-Touffah, between Zaoutar (Nabatiyeh) and Deir Seriane (Marjeyoun), the surroundings of Jbaa (Nabatiyeh), Tayr Harfa, Jibbein, Chihine, and Zebqine (Tyre). Attacks also targeted Zellaya in Bekaa.
At least three attacks also targeted the Tefahta valley, in the Zahrani district south of Saïda. A road linking the coast to the locality was struck and became inaccessible. The Israeli aviation conducted "a massive aerial attack on the villages in the districts of Zahrani, Nabatiyeh, Jezzine, and Tyre," according to our correspondent, Mountasser Abdallah.
Israel 'detects Hezbollah preparations'
The Israeli army, it stated that it had conducted "massive raids" in southern Lebanon after 'detecting preparations by Hezbollah to launch rockets towards Israeli territory,' according to the Israeli army's Arab spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, in a statement on X published in the evening. "Dozens of warplanes' are attacking Hezbollah sites and missile launchers", he added, indicating that its air forces targeted more than 400 Hezbollah missile launchers today.
"We are prepared for the next steps and remain in a state of high readiness offensively and defensively. The air force's planes are armed and ready to attack anywhere. The air defense systems are also deployed and ready to intercept threats," the spokesperson added. "We have changed the containment policy on the home front, from the Haifa region in the north... In the near future, rockets and other threats may be launched towards Israeli territory. We ask the public to obey the instructions from the home front," he added. The Israeli army has even tightened restrictions regarding public gatherings in northern Israel.
"Gatherings will be limited to 30 participants in an open space and to 300 participants in a closed space. Going to work is allowed as long as there is a protected space available, and educational activities can continue as long as there are protected spaces available,' the army emphasized, referring to bomb shelters."
