The Lebanese Army conducting excavations on Sunday evening at the site hit by Israeli army strikes on Thursday. Photo sent by Mountasser Abdallah.
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army said it found “no military equipment” during inspections Sunday in the Mreijeh and Laylaki neighborhoods of Beirut's southern suburb, according to local sources who spoke to L’Orient Today's correspondent.
Israeli airstrikes had hit the area Thursday evening, claiming the target was an “underground infrastructure intended for Hezbollah drone production.” That evening, the army cordoned off the vicinity near the Imam al-Qazem mosque at the request of the cease-fire monitoring committee.
Residents told L’Orient Today this was the fourth army inspection of the site since a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect on Nov. 27, 2024. The neighborhood has been struck twice by Israel since. At one point, the army reportedly brought in an excavator to search for weapons or hidden infrastructure.
Thursday’s Israeli strikes destroyed several buildings and marked one of the most significant escalations since the truce began. The Israeli military said it had targeted underground drone production facilities allegedly operated by Hezbollah with Iranian backing. The attacks came on the eve of Eid al-Adha, after Israel issued evacuation orders for residents of Hadath, Haret Hreik and Burj al-Barajneh, sparking panic and mass displacement.
A source told L’Orient Today that the Lebanese Army had attempted to inspect the sites earlier on Thursday, but Israeli warning strikes prevented them from doing so. The army reportedly condemned what it called Israel’s obstruction and accused Tel Aviv of trying to “undermine” both the military and the cease-fire monitoring committee overseeing the dismantling of Hezbollah military infrastructure. In response, the army threatened to suspend cooperation with the committee, particularly regarding inspections.
The Israeli news website Yedioth Ahronoth claimed, without citing sources, that Thursday's strikes on the southern suburbs and also on Ain Qana (Nabatieh), were “planned several months ago,” “destroyed hundreds of drones.”
According to the site, the Israeli air force was working to counter the capacity of Hezbollah and its “Unit 127” to produce drones locally.
Meanwhile, the head of the Lebanese Army, General Rodolphe Haykal, met in his office in Yarzeh (Baabda) with the U.N. Special Coordinator in Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plaschaert, to discuss the “general situation in Lebanon and the region,” according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
The diplomat was the first, through her press office, to officially condemn the strikes on Thursday evening, which “rekindled panic and fear on the eve of Eid al-Adha.”
“Established mechanisms and diplomatic instruments are available to all parties to address disputes or threats, and prevent unnecessary and dangerous escalation,” the statement said.
Despite the cease-fire, Israel has refused to withdraw from five locations it considers “strategic” in southern Lebanon and continues near-daily strikes. Thursday night’s bombardment was the heaviest and most extensive on Beirut’s southern suburb since the November truce.
Additional reporting by Mountasser Abdallah.
