General Clearfield in Beirut amid 'significant increase' in Israeli attacks, says UNIFIL

BEIRUT — As the Israeli army continues its systematic destruction in several villages in southern Lebanon — with attacks "on the rise" over the past two weeks, according to UNIFIL — U.S. Gen. Joseph Clearfield, who heads the U.S.-led ceasefire monitoring mechanism, is once again in Lebanon, where he met with Lebanese Army commander Gen. Rodolph Haykal.

The visit comes as tensions run high in southern Lebanon, where, according to Israeli Channel 12, the Israeli army is preparing for "several days" of fighting against Hezbollah. The group is believed to still have dozens of fighters trapped in tunnels beneath the strategic Ali Taher ridge, which overlooks the entire Nabatieh region.

During his visit to Yarzeh, the head of the "Mechanism" discussed security arrangements related to the framework agreement signed on June 26 between Lebanon and Israel, brokered by Washington, which calls for Hezbollah's disarmament and Israel's withdrawal from "pilot zones" in the South. Implementation of the agreement has stalled, mainly because of tensions on the ground.

Clearfield and Haykal discussed the "difficulties the Lebanese Army is facing in carrying out its missions, particularly due to the continued Israeli attacks, earthworks and demolitions" underway in the South, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

'Significant increase' in Israeli military activity

The Lebanese Army has repeatedly said that ongoing Israeli attacks are preventing it from dismantling Hezbollah's infrastructure, particularly in the "pilot zone" of Zawtar Gharbieh (Nabatieh).

The meeting between the two generals took place as the Israeli army continued numerous operations in several border villages, along with a series of demolitions.

According to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a "significant increase" in "Israeli military activity" has been observed in southern Lebanon over the past two weeks. Between Aug. 5 and 16, the U.N. force recorded "an average of 137 projectiles per day, including 208 on Saturday and 185 on Sunday," it said.

Eucalyptus trees uprooted in Marjayoun district

On Monday in the Marjayoun district, Israeli soldiers reportedly set fire to homes in Talloussa and carried out land-leveling work on the outskirts of Mais al-Jabal, where bulldozers destroyed homes and private property, removed concrete blocks that had been placed on the road linking the locality to Shaqra and bulldozed eucalyptus trees.

According to our correspondent in the South, an incursion was also reported inside the occupied village of Bani Hayyan (Marjayoun). Israeli forces generally establish positions on the outskirts of occupied villages and enter them to carry out operations, according to our correspondent. Artillery fire also targeted the strategic Wadi Slouqi valley.

In addition, Haddatha, in the Marjayoun district, was targeted by a stun grenade, while Israeli artillery fire from the village struck the valley connecting the locality to Haris (Bint Jbeil).

In Mansouri, on the coast of the Sour district, two airstrikes targeted the village.

In a video filmed from an Israeli vehicle on a road north of Naqoura, Israeli flags can be seen on utility poles along the coastal road before the person filming zooms in on the city of Sour in the distance. The video sparked significant reactions online regarding the reasons for its publication.

Overnight, artillery shells again pummeled the heights of Ali Taher. According to Channel 12, it is in this area that the Israeli army has prevented Hezbollah from resupplying or assisting fighters trapped in suspected tunnels beneath the hill.

Reporting contributed by our correspondent in the South, Muntasser Abdallah