Lebanon is still under the Israeli line of fire, despite the announcement of the ceasefire, as southern Lebanon witnessed a major escalation on the ground today, as the Israeli occupation army launched a series of air raids and intensive artillery shelling that affected several towns deep in the south, in a violation described as the broadest violation of the ceasefire agreement in force, while "Hezbollah" responded by targeting the settlement of "Avivim" in northern Israel.
Escalation on the ground and civil displacement
Lebanese media and official sources reported that the Israeli Air Force targeted the towns of Jargoa, Zuter al-Sharqiya, Sarifa and al-Dweir.
The Israeli army also warned a list of more than 12 southern towns to be evacuated immediately, while the raids began targeting these towns successively, and these attacks coincided with the low and regular flight of warplanes and drones over the capital Beirut and its southern suburbs, which led to a new wave of displacement from the villages of the Zahrani area towards the safer areas.
In a prominent development, the occupation forces destroyed a "Christian monastery" for nuns in southern Lebanon, while Lebanese religious, official and media circles condemned the attack, and the French association "Orient Action" condemned the attack, describing the demolition as "systematic" and aimed at preventing the return of civilians to their villages.
Hezbollah's response
In a related context, Hizbullah announced the launch of several rockets towards the settlement of Avivim, confirming that it had caused casualties there, while the occupation army acknowledged these bursts, pointing out that a number of them were confronted.
The Israel Hayom newspaper quoted senior security sources as describing the situation in southern Lebanon as a "strategic trap," as the Israeli army faces a state of confusion that prevents it from advancing or withdrawing, as security officials acknowledged the difficulty of dealing with Hezbollah's drones, considering that the party has succeeded in turning into a flexible "guerrilla warfare" model capable of continuous attrition.
Diplomatic Moves and the "Mechanism" Meeting
In an attempt to contain the deterioration, Lebanese Army Commander General Rudolph Heikal held an extraordinary meeting at Beirut Air Base with the head of the Committee to Monitor the Cessation of Hostilities (Mechanization), U.S. General Joseph Clearfield.
The two sides discussed ways to activate the "mechanism" and develop its work to ensure compliance with the truce, which was recently extended until May 17, amid stresses of the need to support the Lebanese army at this critical stage.
It is noteworthy that the pace of Israeli attacks has escalated significantly, as on Saturday, 94 attacks were carried out, which resulted in the death of 19 people, raising the total toll of the aggression since March 2 to 2659 martyrs and 8183 injured, according to official data.