Israel raids Beirut’s southern suburbs on eve of Eid al-Adha
Israeli raids have hit Beirut’s southern suburbs overnight, as well as several areas of south Lebanon, as Muslims prepared to celebrate the Eid al-Adha holiday.
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee had ordered residents living near buildings in the neighbourhoods of Hadath, Haret Hreik and Burj al-Barajneh in the Dahiyeh suburbs to evacuate.
The Wafa news agency reported that 100 housing units were destroyed. The Israeli military claimed that these units held underground facilities used by the Lebanese group Hezbollah for drone production.
The attack is the fourth time Israel has bombed Beirut since a ceasefire with Hezbollah went into effect in November.
Smoke and flames rise following an Israeli attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs on June 5
Israeli defence minister says ‘no calm in Beirut’ until Israel is secure
Israel Katz has warned “there will be no calm in Beirut, no order, and no stability in Lebanon without security for Israel.”
His words come after a flurry of Israeli attacks on Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, late last night. “Lebanon must respect the agreements, and if it does not do what is required of it, we will continue to act with great force,” he said.
Katz argued that the Lebanese government must disarm Hezbollah and “prevent it from producing drones that threaten Israeli citizens”. Lebanon’s PM Nawaf Salam has called these bombings a violation of November’s ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Lebanese army condemns Israel’s ‘daily violations’ of ceasefire agreement
The Lebanese army has condemned Israel’s overnight attacks on Beirut, saying they “represent a daily violation of Lebanese sovereignty and the ceasefire agreement”. It added that the timing of the strikes, which coincided with the preparations for Eid al-Adha, was a “clear attempt by the enemy to obstruct our nation’s progress and recovery”.
In accordance with the November ceasefire agreement, it said, the army coordinated with the Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring Committee (CHO) to prevent the attacks after a warning was issued, but Israel did not cooperate.
It also warned that Israel’s “persistent violation” of the ceasefire agreement and of the monitoring mechanism it set in place weakens the role of the army and could prompt it to freeze its cooperation with the CHO regarding site inspections.
