Israeli army attacks Lebanese Army twice as cease-fire monitoring committee meets

SOUTH LEBANON — The Israeli army carried out two attacks on the Lebanese Army in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, relatively rare occurrences that coincided with the visit of U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus to the country and her attendance of a cease-fire monitoring committee meeting in Naqoura, Lebanon's southernmost coastal town.

Early afternoon, several Israeli soldiers crossed the Blue Line into Lebanon and tried to intercept a Lebanese Army vehicle as it traveled between Bastara Farm and the village of Majidieh, in Hasbaya district. According to residents cited by L'Orient Today correspondent in the South, the Israeli soldiers fired at the army vehicle. No injuries were reported.

Later in the day, an Israeli army drone launched a missile near a Lebanese Army post in the village of Dhaira, in Sour district, again with no casualties. Neither armies have commented on the incidents.

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These attacks come nearly a year after Israel agreed to a cease-fire with Hezbollah, after which the Lebanese Army extended its deployment in the South as part of its mandate under the truce agreement to dismantle Hezbollah's military infrastructure in the area.

Wednesday's attacks came as the cease-fire monitoring committee held its 12th meeting to discuss methods for "mitigating" violations of the truce. The Lebanese Army, which has long stated that ongoing Israeli aggression hinders its ability to carry out the cease-fire's terms, presented the committee with an operational update, to which Ortagus responded saying the army "must now fully implement its plan."

During the war, several Lebanese soldiers, whether on duty or not, were killed by Israel in its bombardment of Lebanon. The Lebanese Army, not involved in the fighting, responded only once — on Oct. 3, 2024 — after Israeli fire on one of its centers in Bint Jbeil, at the start of the Israeli ground offensive.

Activist asks for protection after threats from Israel

Tarek Mazraani, an engineer and activist from southern Lebanon who was threatened by Israel on Oct. 12, delivered a letter to the head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Diodato Abagnara, during a meeting with U.N. peacekeeping officials in Sour district's Naqoura.

In it, he asks UNIFIL "to take into consideration what has happened and to adopt the necessary measures to ensure his protection and that of his family, so that they can resume a normal life."

Originally from the town of Houla, in Marjayoun district, Mazraani was threatened in an audio message broadcast by an Israeli drone over several towns in the region.

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Last August, he founded the "Rally of Residents of Southern Border Towns," a group he says is unaffiliated with Hezbollah, which calls for the reconstruction of border regions devastated by the 13-month war between Israel and the party.

Due to the threats he received, Mazranni separated from his family, fearing for their safety, and his professional work has been put on hold, L'Orient Today's correspondent reported.

Also on Wednesday, Hezbollah announced that a man targeted by Israel two weeks ago in Wadi Jilo, who on Tuesday succumbed to his wounds, was a member of the party.

The Israeli army claimed Hussein Ali Tohme was a "logistics official" responsible for “transporting offensive means to rebuild Hezbollah's military capabilities in the region.” As is customary for Hezbollah, it did not specify Thome's particular role in the party. Tohme was buried on Wednesday in his hometown of Aitit, in Sour.

Reporting contributed by L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South, Muntasser Abdallah.