Buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes in Naqoura on April 28, 2025. (Credit: Matthieu Karam / L'Orient-Le Jour)
Residents of Sultanieh (Bint Jbeil) blocked a UNIFIL patrol on Saturday afternoon as it crossed the valley without an escort from the Lebanese Army, according to our South Lebanon correspondent, Muntasser Abdallah. An altercation broke out between the two sides. The Lebanese Army is expected to deploy to the scene to ease tensions.
In theory, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is allowed to move independently “in the areas where it is deployed” (Article 12 of UN Resolution 1701). However, under pressure from Hezbollah, its freedom of movement in South Lebanon without Lebanese Army escort has been increasingly challenged in recent years.
This incident comes as Israel continues near-daily strikes on Lebanon despite the truce agreed in November 2024, and maintains a presence at five points it considers "strategic" in the South.
Strike on Naqoura
On the night of Friday to Saturday, the Israeli army struck the locality of Naqoura with a drone, according to our correspondent, without causing any injuries. The targeted site was a fish shop in this southern coastal village, located in the Sour district. "This site was used by the Radwan Force," the elite unit of Hezbollah, "to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and constitutes a blatant violation of the agreements between Israel and Lebanon," the Israeli army said in a statement.
On Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant “advised” the party to avoid intervening in the war with Iran.
Additionally, during the night, the Israeli army moved the excavator it had seized on Lebanese territory near Mais al-Jabal, dug a trench, and built a large earth embankment around the construction vehicle. According to our correspondent, units from the Lebanese Army’s engineering corps, intelligence services and intervention forces recovered the excavator.
On Friday evening, an Israeli drone carried out two strikes targeting a motorcycle in Braasheet, in the Bint Jbeil district. The motorcyclist was seriously injured and later died from his wounds. According to our correspondent, he was Hussein Daher, a member of Hezbollah.
