BEIRUT (dpa-AFX) – According to Lebanese reports, Israel’s military has attacked Lebanon again. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, a man was killed in an attack in Nabatija in the south of the country. Seven civilians were also injured. According to Lebanese security circles, the man killed was a commander of the pro-Iranian Shiite militia Hezbollah.
A person was also killed in another attack on a motorcycle in the border area with Israel, the state news agency NNA reported. When asked, the Israeli military said it was examining the reports.
Aoun for negotiations with the “enemy”
Security sources also reported increased Israeli military activity along the border in the past 24 hours, including movements of tanks and armored vehicles towards Lebanese territory.
According to President Joseph Aoun, Lebanon has “no choice but to enter into negotiations” with Israel. There are three tools in politics – diplomacy, economics and war. “If the war takes us nowhere, what do we do?” the presidential palace quoted him as saying. At the end of every dispute there are always negotiations. Negotiations are not with a friend or ally, “but with the enemy,” said Aoun. He recently repeatedly spoke out in favor of negotiations with Israel.
Pressure is growing in Lebanon
The situation between Israel and Hezbollah had recently come to a head again. Israel and its ally the USA are pushing for the militia to be completely disarmed. A ceasefire has been in effect since the end of November last year. However, Israel accuses Hezbollah of rearmament and therefore continues to attack almost daily.
In August, the Lebanese government agreed to a US-brokered plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of this year. The militia itself had never agreed to a timetable, but neither had it opposed steps towards disarmament.
Observers believe further major attacks in Lebanon are possible. The US envoy Tom Barrack and the Israeli government had also recently warned of further steps if Hezbollah did not lay down its weapons./arj/DP/nas