Israel is carrying out large-scale air attacks in southern Lebanon amid peace talks in Islamabad, as Iran insists on including Lebanon in any ceasefire deal.Nabatieh appears to be facing some of the deadliest strikes. Since morning, the Israeli army and air force have bombed multiple locations, destroying buildings, residential homes, and key civilian infrastructure. Several casualties have been reported.
The area is also a stronghold of Hezbollah. The Iran-backed militia has claimed it carried out attacks on Israeli army formations and settlements in northern Israel.Israel says it has targeted Hezbollah positions and killed a large number of its fighters during the strikes.Iran and its allies have blamed the Lebanese government for complicating ceasefire efforts.”Lebanese PM Nawaf Salam is obstructing the ceasefire in Lebanon by insisting it be agreed through direct Lebanese-Israeli negotiations and normalisation talks, rather than through the ongoing Iran-Trump negotiations. Amazing…” said Syed Mohammad Marandi, a close aide to the Iranian government, who is also part of Iran’s delegation in Islamabad.
On Thursday, 20 people, including 13 Lebanese security personnel, were killed and over 60 others were injured in an intense bombing in Nabatieh.However, there have been no airstrikes in Beirut in the last 48 hours, even as Israeli drones continue to hover overhead, causing psychological stress and fear among residents.
The Lebanese government says it has established contact with Israel, and ceasefire talks are expected to begin in Washington on Tuesday.Israel, however, has denied that it will hold ceasefire talks with Hezbollah.Thursday’s strike on Lebanese forces is the biggest attack on the military since the outbreak of the war. The Lebanese army is not part of the conflict and has withdrawn from areas captured by Israel or where it was asked to evacuate.
