One killed, two wounded in Israeli airstrike in Lebanon as fears of escalation grow

BEIRUT: One person was killed and two wounded by an Israeli military attack on the Lebanese border village of Rab Al-Thalathin on Thursday, amid growing concerns about the escalation of the conflict between Hezbollah and the Israel.

Hezbollah said it launched anti-aircraft missiles after Israeli warplanes entered Lebanese airspace in the south, forcing them to retreat.

It came as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his report on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 between Feb. 21 and June 20 this year, warned against “the expansion of a destructive war on both sides of the Blue Line.”

Resolution 1701, which was adopted in 2006 with the aim of ending the war that year between Israel and Hezbollah, calls for an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, and the disarmament of non-state armed groups, including Hezbollah.

In his latest report, Guterres highlighted the continuing confrontations in southern Lebanon and said he “remains profoundly concerned by the repeated breaches of the cessation of hostilities across the Blue Line since Oct. 8, 2023.”

He warned that “the cycle of escalation between Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups in Lebanon and the Israel Defense Forces severely affects the civilian populations on both sides of the Blue Line and poses a grave threat to the stability of Lebanon, Israel and the region,” and that the “intensification and geographical expansion of the exchanges of fire, coupled with increasingly bellicose rhetoric and threats of an all-out war, are deeply alarming.”

The UN chief called on both sides to “urgently recommit to the full implementation of Resolution 1701, return immediately to a cessation of hostilities and avail themselves of all diplomatic channels, including the UN’s good offices, to avoid further suffering and the risk of a wider, devastating conflagration.”

Noting that “exchanges of fire demonstrate the possession of weapons outside the authority of the state … by Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups, in violation of Resolution 1701,” he urged the Lebanese government to take all actions “necessary to ensure there will be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than those of the Lebanese state, including through the full implementation of” existing agreements and UN resolutions that “require the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon.”

Guterres again condemned “all violations of Lebanese sovereignty from Israel” and called on Israeli authorities “to cease all overflights of Lebanese territory.”

He also called on Lebanon’s political leaders to take “resolute steps toward the election of a president to address pressing political, economic and security exigencies facing the country.”

The office of president has been vacant since October 2022, when Michel Aoun’s term ended, as political factions in the country have been unable to agree on a successor.

Guterres also said the ability of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon “to implement its operational activities as mandated is more critical than ever,” but warned that restrictions on the force’s freedom of movement continue to be of “great concern.” He called on the Lebanese government "to address any such incidents.”

Meanwhile, Israeli artillery fired on the outskirts of the village of Kfarchouba on Thursday morning while civil defense members were trying to extinguish a fire caused by an earlier attack on the area at dawn. No one was injured but civil defense teams had to halt their fire-fighting efforts. An Israeli combat drone launched a guided missile that targeted the same area.

The outskirts of Aitaroun also came under artillery attack, which caused fires, as did areas around the town of Naqoura. And Israeli forces targeted areas around the town of Mays Al-Jabal with incendiary phosphorus bombs. Though such weapons are not banned under international humanitarian law, conventions heavily restrict their use in populated civilian areas.

Also on Thursday, Hezbollah said it attacked and hit a building used by Israeli soldiers in the Manara settlement in response to an attack on Kfarhamam on Wednesday. The group said it also targeted military buildings in Shtula, a target in Hanita, and “espionage equipment at the Birkat Risha site … leading to its destruction.”

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said forces carried out raids against “Hezbollah targets and targeted military buildings.”