Hezbollah says ready for any Israeli military scenario
Hezbollah says this is a war of reckoning. It has been preparing for a potential ground invasion since 2006. And it has always said it is ready for any scenario. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, was very clear in his speech a few days ago, saying that if Israel tries put a buffer zone into southern Lebanon, it will fail.
In the last few moments, I’ve heard at least two air strikes come in. The Israeli army announced that they were concentrating on Nabatieh governorate. That’s where I am. All the afternoon, we’ve seen air strikes take place.
There are two things that are going on here: First, it’s the offensive air strikes that take place – those designed to knock out Hezbollah infrastructure. And then there’s the reactive air strikes – every time we hear a barrage of Hezbollah rockets going into Israel, about 15-20 minutes later, we see an air strike in that area.
UN agencies, Lebanese authorities preparing for mass casualty events
The UN agency OCHA says the World Health Organization and the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health are preparing for mass casualty events in Lebanon and maintaining essential services as Israel intensifies its bombing campaign.
These including mental health support despite health stock levels being critically low, and urgent restocking being needed, it said.
OCHA also said that several agencies are making preparations to meet humanitarian needs, noting that the UNFPA has 25,000 dignity kits ready and the WFP has prepositioned food for up to 150,000 people.
However, it said more shelters are needed beyond schools and that funding for repairs is lacking. It also said that 290 schools are being used as shelters, affecting education for 100,000 students and exacerbating pre-existing challenges.
Israel continues attacks on southern Lebanon
Residents clean the area after Israeli raids in Jiyeh
Israeli army boss says Lebanon air raids preparing way for possible ground push
General Herzi Halevi has told Israeli soldiers that the air attacks on Lebanon would continue in order to destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure and to prepare the way for a possible ground offensive.
“You hear the jets overhead; we have been striking all day,” the Israeli army chief told troops on the border with Lebanon, according to a statement from the military.
“This is both to prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue degrading Hezbollah.”
