Alongside the military escalation in Rafah, tensions continue to rise on the southern Lebanon front as "Hezbollah" intensifies its operations. Reports have emerged of Israel targeting an ambulance, resulting in the death of a paramedic and injuries to another. This follows the Israeli army's announcement of airstrikes on four military compounds belonging to "Hezbollah" in the areas of Aytroun and Markaba in southern Lebanon, as well as Israeli artillery firing two shells at the town of Al-Wazzani towards the orchards, and shelling the town of Naqoura.
Intensive Operations
In response, the party has escalated its operations, announcing an aerial attack using kamikaze drones targeting Iron Dome positions in the Zahrani area and their crews, resulting in damage and fires. The party also targeted a building used by Israeli soldiers in the Shomera settlement and the village of Tarpakh, as well as the Braniet barracks (headquarters of the 91st Division) with heavy "Burkan" missiles. Additionally, the party used these missiles to target the Al-Baghdadi site, as well as shelling the Ramot Naftali settlement and the Mi'ayan site with a "rocket barrage."
Gradual Escalation
Retired Brigadier General Hisham Jaber, head of the "Middle East Center for Strategic Studies", stated that the targeting of ambulances and medical centers in southern Lebanon by Israel is not new; since October of last year, Israel has attacked medical centers and ambulances multiple times, recently targeting the entrance of the Bint Jbeil Hospital. He noted that this pattern is part of an effort to displace the population and destroy towns and villages in response to Hezbollah’s escalated operations. Jaber spoke to "Asharq Al-Awsat" about a "qualitative development" in the operations carried out by Hezbollah, indicating that by targeting the Iron Dome before launching missiles, they disable it, allowing the missiles to reach their targets. He added, "It has become clear that the party is adopting a policy of responding to escalation with gradual escalation, using new weapons and tactics refined over seven months, and has a current interest in revealing its weapons gradually rather than all at once."
The Lebanon Front Is Strong and Pressuring
In a speech on Friday evening, Hezbollah's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah affirmed that "the battle in the south concerns the future of Lebanon, its wealth, and Lebanese sovereignty," stressing that "the Lebanon front is strong and puts pressure on the Israeli enemy." He remarked, "In recent days, Netanyahu, the Minister of War, and the Chief of Staff were forced to come to the north to tell settlers that he had moved the resistance kilometers away, but the resistance quickly responded to say that the fighters are still on the border." Nasrallah addressed the misconception held by some that the Lebanese people do not support this battle, asserting, "This is not true." He challenged critics by asking, "What do you consider all those martyrs from Hezbollah, Amal Movement, the National Party, and the Islamic Group, and their families? Are not all these and the supportive environment of the southern front for Gaza from all sects in Lebanon?!"
Nasrallah emphasized that "everyone should know their size and what they represent before speaking on behalf of the entire Lebanese people and their stances." Later, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants announced that Lebanon's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York submitted a complaint to the Security Council regarding Israel's targeting of a vehicle carrying a Lebanese citizen, which resulted in his death and injuries to three students who were on a school bus on their way to Shoukin during its passage on the Shoukin-Kafardjal road, located southwest of the city of Nabatiyeh. Lebanon requested that the Security Council "compel Israel to respect international humanitarian law and children's rights and to avoid fighting amidst civilians," as well as to "condemn Israel’s direct, deliberate, and repeated targeting of civilians, and work to ensure that it does not evade accountability for these crimes."
