Beirut: The head of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Lebanese Parliament, Fadi Allameh, revealed that “the number of attacks on southern Lebanon has exceeded 5,736 as of July 15, resulting in 538 martyrs and 1,850 injuries.”
The Foreign Relations Committee met with several ambassadors from the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Britain and Canada on Wednesday to present the results of Israel's ongoing attacks on southern Lebanon as part of preparations for the government's “post-ceasefire work”. “
MP Allameh said: “Representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations were surprised when they talked about 1,800 hectares of land that were deliberately burned by Israel's enemies. They were also surprised by the number of schools that were targeted and the number of students who failed to complete their education and moved to other places. “In addition, they learned of 28,000 new families displaced from areas targeted daily.”
This member of parliament said: The government should formulate a plan and road map as soon as possible.
“Human, health, urban, agricultural, and environmental damages have increased greatly as a result of Israeli attacks,” said MP Wael Abufavur, a member of the parliament's foreign relations committee. Initial estimates from Lebanese institutions indicate a cost of over two billion dollars so far, in addition to other damages and losses.
“This is a new challenge for the Lebanese government that must be dealt with in Lebanon's Arab and international relations,” said Abu Favar. The state is bankrupt and unable to bear such responsibilities, but at the same time it cannot abdicate its responsibilities to its citizens regardless of the contentious local political considerations about the feasibility of war or its justification among some parties.
Hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli army continued on Wednesday. According to Israeli media, “43 settlements in the north were evacuated (and) more than 1,500 buildings, cars and infrastructure were damaged in the north.” In addition, six industrial zones were affected and hundreds of businesses were forced to close due to Hezbollah strikes.
On Wednesday, the Zionist regime targeted the cities of Kafr Shaba, Tayir Gere and Hawla with airstrikes and artillery. A raid also targeted a house in Kaffar Hammam settlement, leading to its destruction. This small village is located in Hasbiyeh district on the eastern side of Nabatieh governorate.
Hezbollah released a new video captured by a Hoddh drone inside Israel, showing images from inside the Ramat Daoud Air Base, located about 50 kilometers from the Lebanese border.
According to Hezbollah, “this video was taken on Tuesday using a drone.”
A new eight-minute video released by Hezbollah shows several sensitive areas at the base, including aircraft fuel tanks, the headquarters of the 109th Squadron, the Iron Dome missile defense platform and ammunition depots. It also shows the locations of 157 Squadron and 105 Squadron. Hezbollah posted a picture of the base's command office, revealing intricate details of the facility.
This is not the first time that Hezbollah uses such tactics. Earlier, the group had released aerial images of critical facilities captured by similar drones in Haifa and the Golan Heights.
The Israeli media reacted strongly, with one stating: “More than eight minutes of Hizbullah video exposing our vulnerability is a shame.”
However, the IDF downplayed the incident, claiming that the footage was taken by a drone designed for photography purposes only and did not affect the base's operations.
A Hezbollah source linked the release of this video to the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington.
Amid these developments, the Israeli army announced on Wednesday that its “reserve brigade has completed a war simulation exercise in Lebanon”.
Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben Gower, announced his support for an all-out war against Hezbollah and said: “The sooner, the better.”
However, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Simona Halperin stated that although Tel Aviv is ready for a military confrontation with Lebanon, it still prefers a diplomatic solution.
He stressed that Israel is not interested in a large-scale war. He added: “We cannot rule out a scenario in which Israel is forced to enter into a large-scale war on the northern front.”
At the same time as Israel's war rhetoric, the Canadian Embassy in Lebanon issued new recommendations to its citizens.
Canadians, permanent residents, their spouses and dependent children are urged to heed travel advisories and leave the country while commercial flights are available.
The embassy emphasized its focus on helping individuals obtain the necessary travel documents and keeping families together in the process.
The escalation comes as thousands of Lebanese immigrants with dual citizenship from Canada, the United States and Europe have arrived in Lebanon for the summer holidays.
