Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon resulted in the deaths of at least seven individuals and injuries to others on Saturday. Concurrently, the Israeli military demolished sections of a Catholic convent located in a border village, as confirmed by officials.
The Israeli military issued a fresh warning on Saturday for inhabitants of nine southern villages to evacuate. Despite a ceasefire in effect since April 17, Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, supported by Iran, have persisted in their hostilities.
In the village of Yaroun, the Israeli military utilized bulldozers to raze parts of a Catholic convent that had been unoccupied due to recent conflicts. Gladys Sabbagh, the superior general of the Basilian Salvatorian Sisters, stated that the convent, housing a closed school since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war and a recently relocated clinic, was demolished.
Sabbagh described the convent as a modest compound where only two nuns resided before leaving due to the war. With Yaroun’s residents displaced, detailed information is scarce.
The Israel Defence Forces stated that during the destruction of Hezbollah infrastructure in Yaroun, a house lacking religious insignia was inadvertently damaged. Upon realizing its connection to a church, the military ceased further harm. The military emphasized that the compound had been previously used by Hezbollah to launch attacks towards Israel but clarified that religious establishments are not deliberately targeted.
The Catholic Church in Lebanon refuted allegations of the compound being utilized for military purposes, emphasizing their stance against any form of aggression towards places of worship, which they regard as symbols of peace and education.
Following the recent controversy surrounding an Israeli soldier destroying a fallen statue of Jesus in the village of Debel, airstrikes by Israel and counterattacks by Hezbollah persisted in southern Lebanon.
Reports from Lebanon’s National News Agency indicated casualties from Israeli airstrikes, including two individuals in Kfar Dajjal and three in Louaize, with two more fatalities in Shoukin. The Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Lt.-Col. Ella Waweya, disclosed approximately 50 airstrikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure and members over the past day.
Hezbollah retaliated by using a drone to target Israeli troops congregated in a house in Bayed. The ongoing conflict has witnessed the Israeli army demolishing structures near the Lebanese-Israeli border, citing their use by the Iran-backed group as outposts.
In a released video, the Israeli military showcased the destruction of Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, with footage depicting soldiers amid the ruins of a soccer stadium in Bint Jbeil. The military claimed that the stadium was rigged with explosives, necessitating its destruction.
The current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah commenced on March 2, following rocket attacks by Hezbollah into northern Israel, subsequent to military actions taken by the United States and Israel against Iran, Hezbollah’s principal supporter.
Since the onset of hostilities, Israel has conducted numerous airstrikes and a ground incursion into southern Lebanon, capturing multiple border towns and villages. Recent direct talks between Lebanon and Israel mark the first in over three decades, amid a state of war existing since Israel’s establishment in 1948. A 10-day ceasefire, initiated in Washington on April 17 and extended by three weeks, remains in effect.
The Health Ministry of Lebanon reported 2,659 deaths and 8,183 injuries since the commencement of the conflict two months ago.