Deadly attack in Blida: Aoun orders army to 'retaliate' against any Israeli incursion

BEIRUT — The Israeli attack that took place from Wednesday night to Thursday in Blida, when a patrol infiltrated Lebanese territory and fired at the municipality headquarters, killing an employee who was sleeping there.

This is an unprecedented attack since the cease-fire went into effect on Nov. 27, 2024.

The reactions it sparked have also taken a harsher tone, especially toward the cease-fire monitoring "mechanism," which had met the day before.

Among the statements that stood out, the one that could mark a turning point in how Lebanon responds to the near-daily attacks from the Hebrew state is President Joseph Aoun's request that the army retaliate against Israeli incursions, a call that was praised by Hezbollah and parliament speaker Nabih Berri.

Reactions to this attack mounted as anger grew in the South, where residents demanded that the Lebanese authorities "take their responsibilities."

Aoun asked Lebanese Army commander Gen. Rodolph Haykal, during a meeting in Baabda, that the troops retaliate to any Israeli incursion into South Lebanon, "to defend Lebanese territory and the security of its citizens."

President Aoun said that "this aggression, which is part of a series of Israel's aggressive actions, occurred shortly after the meeting of the cease-fire monitoring committee ['mechanism'], which should not just register incidents but should act to put an end to them by pressuring Israel to respect last November’s agreement and stop its violations of Lebanese sovereignty."

Southerners 'pay the price for their attachment to their land'

Commenting on the Blida attack, the Israeli incursion that took place overnight in Adaisseh during which a hussainia (a religious hall) was dynamited, as well as the strikes carried out this morning in South Lebanon and the drone flights over Beirut, Berri said that these incidents "constitute an act that goes beyond Israel's violation of Lebanese national sovereignty and United Nations resolutions."

"This is in fact an aggression against Lebanon that cannot be contained by mere condemnation," he declared.

Berri also called for "supporting the president of the republic," who this morning ordered the Lebanese army to confront any Israeli incursion.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who was the first to speak Thursday morning after the shooting, denounced "a flagrant violation of the institutions and sovereignty of the Lebanese state" with the incursion and targeting of a municipal employee while on duty.

Offering his condolences to the family of Ibrahim Salameh, he voiced his "solidarity" with the citizens of the South "who pay each day the price for their attachment to their land and their right to live in security and dignity under the sovereignty and authority of the Lebanese state."

"We continue to put pressure on the United Nations and the signatories of the cessation of hostilities agreement to ensure an end to repeated violations and the implementation of Israel’s full withdrawal from our land," Salam added in a statement.

Hezbollah calls for a 'firm' national position

Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar also condemned in a statement "the heinous crime committed by the Israeli enemy" in Blida, denouncing a "flagrant violation of human rights."

He emphasized that it's time to "end the attacks on civilians and public facilities," reiterating his support for the residents of Blida and the municipal employees of the region "who continue to work despite all the dangers and difficult conditions."

In a statement, Hezbollah "strongly condemned this new Israeli crime and denounced the 'complicity' of Washington in the Israeli attacks, seeking to pressure Lebanon into implementing an agenda contrary to its national interest."

Hezbollah therefore called on the state and all political forces to "adopt a unified, responsible, and firm national position" and welcomed Aoun’s decision to order the army to retaliate against Israeli incursions.

Hezbollah also called on "the government to take measures different from those it has taken over the past 11 months and to assume its responsibilities by adopting a political and diplomatic plan aimed at ending the aggression and protecting Lebanese citizens and their interests."

Hezbollah further called on "the international community, the U.N. Security Council, and UNIFIL to assume their responsibilities by taking deterrent and appropriate positions to end the aggression."