".. we have been seeing Israeli air strikes, drone strikes, artillery shelling, home demolitions.." Zeina Khodr reports this morning that Israel is continuing to bomb villages in southern Lebanon in order to stop people returning to their home
"There has been a reduction in Israeli attacks since mid-June, but they have not stopped. Since then, we have been seeing Israeli airstrikes, drone strikes, artillery shelling, home demolitions. But like you mentioned, this flashpoint, most of the attacks have been taking place in so-called frontline villages. Among them is Nabatia al-Fawah. These are villages that lie along the occupation zone, the zone that Israel occupies in southern Lebanon. Israel controls at least 6% of Lebanese territory. So really, in recent weeks, what we have been seeing is these drone strikes, sometimes drones drop stun grenades. The whole purpose really is, and this really appears to be as part of a strategy, is to keep people away from these villages. They don't want people to return to these villages. They want to control these villages by fire, because the more land you have, the more leverage you have in negotiations. That agreement that was signed in Washington between the Lebanese and Israeli governments in late June has yet to be implemented. And on Sunday, the Israeli army chief of staff visited that area very close to Nabatia al-Fawah. And what he said was that the war against Hezbollah will continue, but that the Lebanese army needs to fulfill its commitments in that agreement. Now, the Lebanese army has been reluctant really to confront Hezbollah, and Hezbollah is refusing to recognize this deal and to agree to disarming in that area. So it remains very, very tense. So these attacks continue. It is part of a pressure campaign, but Israel making it clear that it doesn't see this war against Hezbollah over."
π¬ Discussion
".. we have been seeing Israeli air strikes, drone strikes, artillery shelling, home demolitions.." Zeina Khodr reports this morning that Israel is continuing to bomb villages in southern Lebanon in order to stop people returning to their home