Screenshot from a video circulating online showing a series of explosions in the village of Mhaybib, southern Lebanon
The Israeli army detonated an entire village in southern Lebanon, according to an aerial video released Wednesday by its Arabic-speaking spokesperson, Avichay Adraee.
The footage, reportedly captured by a drone and titled "Destruction of a Tunnel by the 91st Division," shows a small hilltop village being struck by several explosions in a matter of seconds, soon engulfed in thick smoke.
The spokesperson's message accompanying the video states that the 91st Division had identified a "network of tunnel openings and underground infrastructure in Nabatieh," set up for Hezbollah's elite al-Radwan unit fighters to stay in, where "numerous weapons" were found. "The tunnel ran through the heart of a village, beneath the homes of Lebanese citizens," the message added. It was "destroyed" by the 8th Brigade, an armored reservist unit, along with a military engineering unit, according to Adraee.
#عاجل جيش الدفاع يشن سلسلة غارات تستهدف عشرات الاهداف الإرهابية لحزب الله في منطقة النبطية؛ تدمير مسار نفق تحت الارض استخدمته قوة الرضوان في جنوب لبنان
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 16, 2024
🔸تواصل قوات الفرقة 91 العمل ضد بنى ارهابية لحزب الله في جنوب لبنان حيث داهمت القوات على مدار الأيام الأخيرة شبكة من فتحات… pic.twitter.com/I1pUXApRt5
A second video, filmed from a position near the village with soldiers in the foreground, shows the same area being rocked by a series of detonations. These explosions appear to result from explosives planted in the village, rather than from an aerial bombardment.
Earlier today, a video was published of Israeli forces detonating explosives, destroying Mhaibib, a village in south #Lebanon along the border with #Israel. #جنوب_لبنان #محيبيب #إسرائيل pic.twitter.com/p0CUUGLr3Y
— Nicholas Frakes | نيكولاس فريكس (@nicfrakesjourno) October 16, 2024
According to several Lebanese media outlets, Al Jazeera, and journalist Timour Azhari, head of Reuters' Baghdad bureau, the village in question is Mhaybib, located between Mais el-Jabal and Blida, about two kilometers from the Blue Line in the Marjayoun district. Azhari reported receiving confirmation from residents of nearby Mais el-Jabal that the village is indeed Mhaybib, not Nabatieh, as Adraee had claimed. He also noted that the "inhabitants left the area long ago."
Mhaybib is also home to a maqam (a sanctuary or place of prayer) dedicated to the biblical figure Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob and grandson of Abraham, according to the Old Testament.
On Oct. 9 and 10, Hezbollah claimed to have fired on Israeli soldiers attempting to advance towards Mais el-Jabal and Mhaybib. Since then, the Israeli army has gained at least partial control of Mais el-Jabal and Blida, with Hezbollah repeatedly announcing strikes on Israeli forces in these areas.
A similar video was released following the detonation of a mosque in Yaroun, located in the Bint Jbeil district. This village also appears to have been ravaged by the Israeli army, according to videos circulating online in early October.
Additionally, the Israeli army did indeed carry our strikes in Nabatieh today. The attack hit the municipal headquarters and the Union of Municipalities, killing the mayor and 15 others and injuring 52.
