Tensions in the south: Despite Israeli gunfire, the Lebanese army refuses to give in

As the Lebanese Army was setting up an observation post in the Sarda area (Marjayoun district), the vicinity of the site came under Israeli fire, according to the Lebanese Army and our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

At the time of the shooting, an Israeli drone was flying low over the area, issuing threats aimed at forcing the soldiers to leave, the army said in a statement published on X.

The Lebanese Army refused to leave the scene. Army command ordered the unit to "reinforce its position, remain deployed there and respond to the source of the gunfire," the statement said, adding that the incident is being followed up in coordination with the cease-fire supervision committee (known as the "mechanism") and with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

The shots were fired from the Hamames hill, south of Khiam, one of six positions in southern Lebanon illegally occupied by Israel, according to information from our correspondent.

In the evening, an Israeli drone was observed flying over the Lebanese Army position at Sarda, and Israeli messages urging Lebanese soldiers to withdraw were broadcast via loudspeakers, according to witnesses quoted by our correspondent.

A source in the Lebanese Army told L’Orient-Le Jour that "talks are continuing through the cease-fire monitoring committee and UNIFIL" to resolve the dispute. "The Lebanese soldiers have not yet withdrawn," the source added.

For her part, Israeli army spokesperson Ella Waouia justified the Israeli shooting by stating that "the army observed Lebanese soldiers setting up a military post without coordination."

In a message posted to her X account, she said that "the Israeli army first issued warning calls [to the Lebanese soldiers], then sent a request via coordination channels to halt the work."

"When they did not respond to the messages, the [Israeli] army fired warning shots to stop the work," she concluded.

These tensions between the Israeli and Lebanese armies come as Israeli attacks have continued in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army reportedly fired near a shepherd in the locality of Wazzani, without causing any injuries, according to our information.

Shots were also fired from the Hamames hill.

In addition, an Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade on one of the neighborhoods of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil district).

Around 7:30 p.m., Israeli soldiers opened fire with medium machine guns from their outpost located on Lebanese territory in the Labbouneh area, south of Naqoura (Sour district), toward the village of Alma al-Shaab.

During the night, Israeli soldiers infiltrated two southern localities, Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil) and Houla (Marjayoun), and blew up houses there.