Israeli airstrikes target Brital's outskirts and Jezzine heights
Israeli warplanes on Thursday bombed areas in northeastern and southern Lebanon, a day after a defiant speech by Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem.
In the Bekaa, the airstrikes targeted the outskirts of the town of Brital in two waves and the peripheries of the town of Janta near Syria's border.
Israeli warplanes also carried out strikes on the heights of the al-Mahmoudiyeh and al-Jarmaq areas in south Lebanon's Jezzine region.
Israel has frequently bombed the aforementioned areas since the November ceasefire, alleging the presence of Hezbollah military bases.
Such airstrikes have become regular after Qassem's speeches. This time they come amid a debate in the country over Hezbollah's controversial arsenal of weapons.
Earlier in the day, President Joseph Aoun said that Lebanon is determined to disarm Hezbollah, a step it has come under heavy U.S. pressure to take, with the Iran-backed group insisting that doing so would serve Israeli goals.
In a key speech marking Army Day on Thursday, Aoun said Lebanon was demanding "the extension of the Lebanese state's authority over all its territory, the removal of weapons from all armed groups including Hezbollah and their handover to the Lebanese Army."
He added it was every politician's duty "to seize this historic opportunity and push without hesitation towards affirming the army and security forces' monopoly on weapons over all Lebanese territory... in order to regain the world's confidence."
On Wednesday, Qassem had said that "anyone calling today for the surrender of weapons, whether internally or externally, on the Arab or the international stage, is serving the Israeli project."
He accused U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who has visited Lebanon several times in recent months for talks with senior officials, of using "intimidation and threats" with the aim of "aiding Israel."
Lebanon has proposed modifications to "ideas" submitted by the United States on Hezbollah's disarmament, Aoun added, and a plan would be discussed at a cabinet meeting next week to "establish a timetable for implementation."
Aoun also demanded the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the release of Lebanese prisoners and "an immediate cessation of Israeli hostilities."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Confiscation of 2-wheelers, fines for tinted windows: ISF toughens measures
The Internal Security Forces have recently increased efforts to confiscate unregistered motorcycles and fine vehicle owners with tinted windows, to the point that many delivery drivers avoid riding their two-wheelers when they hear about a security checkpoint on their route. "This is not exactly a nationwide campaign, but rather a tightening, over the past two weeks, of repressive measures against mopeds in irregular situations and motorists choosing to equip their vehicles with tinted windows in violation of regulations," a security source told L'Orient-Le Jour on Friday on condition of anonymity, noting that these violations are clearly increasing, although no figures were provided. In parallel, the ISF has set up "random roadblocks, mainly in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, but also throughout the country," the same source said. Arrests have also been reported, particularly of foreigners in irregular situations or wanted individuals. "These operations are routine. When we observe traffic violations, we naturally verify the drivers' identities," the source added. Likewise, no statistics are available on the number of arrests during this period, when many Lebanese from the diaspora are present, and when two-wheelers, which mostly do not respect the traffic laws, are often responsible for and victims of deadly road accidents. Lebanon adopted a new traffic code in 2012, but it wasn't enforced until 2015. Still, the country continues to struggle with enforcing basic traffic rules, including speeding, wearing seatbelts, driving against traffic or using a mobile phone while driving. Last March, Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar already called "for strengthened security measures to reduce recurring incidents and trouble and to ensure the safety of citizens in Beirut and Tripoli." He emphasized the importance of enforcing road safety rules to ensure smoother and safer traffic. These measures were implemented during Ramadan in both cities. In spring 2024, amid the war between Israel and Hezbollah, former Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi announced the deployment of State Security checkpoints and patrols on the airport road in Beirut following attacks on several motorists.
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
US envoy meets Israeli hostage families in Tel Aviv
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met Saturday with the families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, according to the main association representing those still in captivity almost 22 months after being seized during Hamas's October 2023 attacks. A cellphone video posted online showed the Washington negotiator arriving in a square in Tel Aviv that has become known for protests by supporters of the hostages' families, and being greeted with applause and pleas for help.
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Arida residents fear flooding of the al-Kabir River due to public works ministry projects
Residents of the border town of Arida in Akkar district, northern Lebanon, have expressed worries that their homes and fields might flood because of a dam built by the Public Works Ministry at the mouth of the Nahr al-Kabir River. This is due to work carried out to reopen the Arida border crossing between Lebanon and Syria and to make it easier for cars and buses to pass, our northern Lebanon correspondent reports. During a symbolic sit-in on Saturday in front of the Arida border post, they also protested the disruptions and additional expenses these projects cause fishermen, who are now forced to moor their boats outside the fishing port. Residents also voiced their fear, with winter approaching, of an al-Kabir River flood after part of its bed was blocked by debris due to the destruction of the bridge by Israeli airstrikes during the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah. "The high river flow will inevitably lead to a significant rise in the water level, and the village of Arida will be the first to be flooded, as will all the fields and lands along the river's course in Arida, Samakia and Hakr al-Dahri. These vast areas will be transformed into a huge lake," they lamented. The residents called on the relevant authorities, especially the Public Works and Transport Ministry, to urgently find solutions in order to protect the lives and property of the people living in the villages on the Lebanese bank of the al-Kabir River, warning of escalation if this is not done.
