Lebanese PM condemns Israeli attacks
Nawaf Salam denounces the Israeli attacks in south Lebanon, noting that they come at a “dangerous” time ahead of the municipal elections in southern Lebanese districts.
“Prime Minister Salam stresses that these violations will not thwart the state’s commitment to holding the elections and protecting Lebanon and the Lebanese,” his office said in a statement.
The elections are set for Saturday and are expected to be dominated by Hezbollah and its allies. There have been growing concerns about the safety of voters, especially in border towns, amid the continued Israeli occupation of parts of South Lebanon.
Salam called on the international community to pressure Israel to end its violations of the ceasefire and fully withdraw from Lebanon.
Smoke billows from the Nabatieh district following Israeli strikes, May 8
Hezbollah calls for ‘resounding’ win in local vote amid Israeli attacks
The group’s chief Naim Qassem has released a message to supporters urging them to participate in the upcoming municipal elections in south Lebanon on Saturday to ensure a “resounding” victory and assert defiance against Israel.
“We will not give up a grain of soil in our generous South, and we will not accept Israeli occupation in any inch of our homeland,” Qassem said. “Your participation in the local elections is part of the reconstruction that we will oversee through the elected local governments, and the Lebanese state must live up to its responsibility.”
Yesterday, Netanyahu boasted about the destruction of what he called “terrorist villages” in south Lebanon, suggesting that the widespread bombing and demolition of homes in the Lebanese border towns was a deliberate tactic.
Israel has renewed its bombardment of Lebanon, striking a building in the southern town of Toul after issuing an evacuation warning for the area.
Another wave of Israeli strikes reported in Lebanon
The Israeli military has launched several attacks in south Lebanon, several Lebanese news outlets report. Al Mayadeen said strikes targeted Wadi al-Aziya in the Tyre region and Deir Antar near the southeastern Lebanese border with Israel.
Israel also bombed two mobile homes in Shamaa, south of the city of Tyre.
