Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling on southern Lebanon

The Israeli army launched airstrikes and artillery shelling on towns in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, including Kfar Tibnit, Qantara, Bani Hayyan, Markaba, and Al-Jarmaq, coinciding with faltering political efforts and ongoing US-Iran negotiations.

The Israeli army launched attacks on towns in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, carrying out a series of airstrikes and artillery shelling that hit several areas, as part of the ongoing assaults on Lebanese territory despite declared understandings to de-escalate. Lebanese media reported that Israeli warplanes carried out two airstrikes on the towns of Kfar Tibnit in the Nabatieh district and Qantara in the Marjayoun district, while other strikes targeted the outskirts of Bani Hayyan, Markaba, and Al-Jarmaq, where an Israeli drone carried out a guided missile strike on the outskirts of the latter town. Artillery shelling extended to Wadi Zibqin and the outskirts of Al-Mansouri, in addition to the outskirts of the towns of Zawtar al-Sharqiya and Mayfadoun, coinciding with an explosion carried out by the Israeli army on the hill of Al-Sharika north of Al-Khiyam. These attacks come in the context of continued Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon, which include airstrikes, artillery shelling, demolition operations, and targeting of homes and agricultural land, increasing fears of an expansion of confrontations and a renewal of war. Politically, the field developments coincide with the faltering Lebanese-Israeli negotiation track, which has been stalled since the Florida meeting, while US-Iran negotiations aimed at ending the war continue. In this context, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stressed the need to respect Lebanese sovereignty.