BEIRUT / ISTANBUL 

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun ordered his army on Thursday to counter any Israeli incursions into liberated areas in the south, in the first such move since a ceasefire took effect in late 2024, according to local media.

The order came after Israeli army forces raided a municipality building in Blida town in southern Lebanon last night, killing a public officer.

The state news agency NNA reported that the Lebanese president condemned the Israeli attack, calling it “part of a continuous pattern of Israeli aggression.”

During a meeting with Army Commander General Rudolph Haykal at Baabda Palace in Beirut, Aoun said the attack was staged a day after a meeting by the ceasefire oversight committee, “which must not limit itself to recording incidents but act to end them by pressing Israel to respect the November ceasefire agreement and cease its violations of Lebanese sovereignty.”

The Israeli military claimed that the Blida municipality building was recently used for Hezbollah activities under the cover of civilian infrastructure.

Hezbollah, for its part, condemned the Israeli attack and hailed Aoun’s decision, vowing support to the army to enhance its defensive capabilities.

It called on the government to “take different steps from what it has done over the past 11 months and to assume its responsibilities by approving a political and diplomatic plan to stop the attacks and to protect Lebanese citizens and their interests.”

In August, the Lebanese government approved a plan to confine all weapons under state control. Hezbollah rejected the plan and stressed that it will retain its arms until Israel withdraws from five occupied border outposts in the south.

The Israeli army has 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.