Lebanon President Commands Army To Repel ’Israeli’ Blida Incursion

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun instructed the army to confront any Zionist incursion into southern Lebanon, following a cross-border attack by "Israeli" occupation forces [IOF] that claimed a municipal employee in the town of Blida overnight.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the assault as “a blatant attack on the institutions and sovereignty of the Lebanese state.”

Meanwhile, residents of Beirut reported hearing the loud buzz of an "Israeli" Hermes 450 drone over the capital on Wednesday morning, as "Israel" intensified its air raids on southern Lebanon.

The Hermes 450, produced by the "Israeli" weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems, is used for surveillance and can also carry multiple lethal payloads.

Violations of Lebanese airspace by "Israel" have long been routine, with flights over Beirut occurring almost daily in recent days.

Footage verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency, Sanad, showed smoke billowing from the latest "Israeli" airstrikes targeting the areas of Mahmoudiyah and Jarmaq in southern Lebanon.

The extent of casualties or material damage has not yet been confirmed.

According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, the "Israeli" occupation carried out several new strikes on southern Lebanon on Wednesday, claiming to target Hezbollah infrastructure.

These attacks are the latest breaches of the US-brokered ceasefire between "Israel" and Hezbollah that has been repeatedly violated since November.

The IOF spokesman Avichay Adraee later confirmed that IOF conducted the overnight raid in Blida.

In a statement posted on X in Arabic, he claimed troops opened fire after identifying a “suspect” inside a building and alleged—without evidence—that the site was being used by Hezbollah.

Lebanese state media reported that the martyr was a municipal employee claimed inside the municipality building during the raid.