Israeli troops kill municipal worker after storming southern Lebanese town
Troops advanced into the town of Blida in Marjayoun district with military and ATV vehicles
ISTANBUL
Israeli forces stormed a town in southern Lebanon and killed a municipality officer in an overnight raid, state news agency NNA reported on Thursday.
The troops entered the town of Blida, Marjayoun district with military and ATV vehicles, advancing nearly a kilometer from the border, in “a dangerous and unprecedented attack.”
The Israeli soldiers stormed the Blida municipality building at 1.30 am (2330 GMT) after midnight and killed the officer.
Locals in the area reported screams and cries for help from the building until the Israeli forces withdrew at around 4 am (0200 GMT).
Lebanese army forces transferred the body of the deceased officer to hospital after the Israeli withdrawal.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called the Israeli action “a blatant attack on Lebanese state institutions and sovereignty.”
In a statement on the US social media company X, Salam said Beirut continues to exert pressure on Israel with the UN and countries sponsoring the cessation of hostilities agreement “to ensure a halt to the repeated violations and the implementation of a complete Israeli withdrawal from our lands."
Separately, the NNA news agency reported Israeli airstrikes targeting the Mahmoudiyeh and Jarmaq towns in the Jezzine district, southern Lebanon, on Thursday.
The Israeli army claimed to have targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in the attack, including a launcher and tunnel shaft in the area.
Israel killed more than 4,000 people and injured nearly 17,000 in its attacks on Lebanon, which began in October 2023 and turned into a full-scale offensive in September 2024.
A ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel was reached in November 2024. The Israeli army was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon this January, but it only partially pulled out and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.
Israel has carried out near-daily strikes on Lebanon, violating the ceasefire more than 4,500 times in one year, according to Lebanese authorities.
