Southern Lebanon: Israel bulldozing land and homes in Houla
Israel is carrying out demolitions of plots of land and houses using bulldozers on the western outskirts of Houla (Marjayoun), reports our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
Salam in Zawtar Gharbieh: ‘Our aim is Israel’s complete withdrawal’
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the “start of Israel’s withdrawal from our land” during a visit to the town of Zawtar Gharbieh (Nabatieh), where the Lebanese Army was deployed on Tuesday as part of the implementation of the “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon.
“From the outset, we have stated that our objective is the complete withdrawal of Israel from all our territory. What we are witnessing today is only the beginning, but we are determined and unwavering, and we will continue to mobilize all our political and diplomatic efforts to secure a total withdrawal from Lebanese territory,” said Salam.
He also addressed the residents of southern Lebanon. “We are here to assure you that we have begun to devote all the state’s resources to facilitating your return,” he said. “The Lebanese Army and security forces are on hand to protect our fellow citizens as they return, and alongside the army’s deployment, we will continue to open roads, clear rubble and provide essential services, thereby enabling them to return to their homes and villages safely and with dignity,” he added.
Salam also gave assurances that the authorities had “begun preparations to restore all essential services, including water, electricity, and telecommunications.” “We are working to provide prefabricated housing and everything necessary to ensure a smooth transition,” he said.
“I would like to emphasize that the return to normal life in the South is not merely a slogan, but a national objective to which the State is fully committed. The return of our people to their land is the most authentic expression of Lebanon’s unity and sovereignty,” he concluded.
Israel carries out strikes on several towns in southern Lebanon
The night from Tuesday to Wednesday was punctuated by numerous bombings carried out by the Israeli army, according to reports from our correspondent in southern Lebanon, Mountasser Abdallah. Between 10 pm and midnight, an Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade on Mansouri (Tyre). Israeli forces also carried out a violent bombing raid on the outskirts of Kfar Tebnit (Nabatiyeh).
After midnight, the Israeli army fired machine-gun rounds towards Haddatha (Bint Jbeil), whilst explosions were reported in the Jebb Soueid area, between Majdel Zoun and Mansouri (Tyre). Explosions also took place between Beit Yahoun and the outskirts of Baraachit, causing fires in homes, as well as in Haddatha (Bint Jbeil). According to a tally by our correspondent, during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the Israeli army carried out eight explosions in Kfar Tebnit, one in Deir Seriane, two in Khiam, four in Majdel Zoun, two in Meis el Jabal, two in Kounine and one in Houla.
According to Israeli media, the Israeli army’s explosions in Majdel Zoun were heard as far north as the State of Israel.
US bombs Iran for 11th consecutive night
The U.S. continues bombing different cities across Iran, with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to attack a suspected Iranian nuclear site called Pickaxe Mountain “pretty soon, and very heavily.”
The U.S. military released the name of a third soldier believed to have been killed in an Iranian strike on a base in Jordan, and identified a service member who was killed in Iraq, bringing the total number of U.S. deaths since the start of the war to 18. Nearly 100 U.S. troops have been injured in combat over the last two weeks of war. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says the cost of the war has reached $37.5 billion, though sources familiar with the matter estimate the total cost will be much higher.
In response to U.S. threats and attacks, Iran has warned of extending the war beyond the region, with an IRGC statement saying that they will continue to “punish the aggressor." Iran said it targeted U.S. assets in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, as well as a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.
Iran's allies in Yemen, the Houthis, have threatened to blockade Saudi ports, though it is unclear how they intend to implement the move. A full closure of the Bab al-Mandeb strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea, would halt Saudi oil exports to Asia and could reduce global oil supply by 7%.
The Houthis said the decision was in response to what they called "an unjust and oppressive siege" imposed on Yemen by the Saudis.
Nawaf Salam on tour of ‘pilot zone’ vilage Zawtar Gharbieh in southern Lebanon
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam visited Zawtar Gharbieh this morning, a village in the Nabatieh district which forms part of one of the two "pilot zones" for the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, where the Lebanese Army began deploying on Tuesday.
Salam is accompanied on this visit by the Minister of Defense, Michel Menassah; the Chief of Staff, Hassan Audi; the Secretary-General of the Supreme Defense Council, Mohammad Mustafa; the Head of the Development and Reconstruction Council, Mohammad Qabbani; the Head of the Southern Council, Hashim Haidar, and the Director of the Central Operations Room at the Grand Serail, Zahi Shahine.
Zawtar Gharbieh is one of the "pilot zones" provided for in the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel, in which the Lebanese Army is to deploy and dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure, a condition for an Israeli withdrawal.
Unlike the other zone, located around Froun and Srifa in the central sector and south of the Litani River, the Israeli army was operating in Zawtar Gharbieh and detonated several buildings there before its withdrawal.
Hello and welcome to our live blog
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the news in Lebanon and the broader region.
The U.S. bombed Iran for 11th consecutive night.
Iran has previously launched retaliatory attacks on U.S. bases in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
Yesterday Trump welcomed Aoun to the White House, with Trump authorizing direct flights between the U.S. and Lebanon, but offering no guarantee of Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
To catch up on yesterday's blog, click here.
To read our Morning Brief, click here.
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