Lebanon president orders army to counter Israeli incursion

After the latest Israeli incursion into southern Lebanon, which resulted in the death of a municipal employee in Blida, tensions have again escalated along the country’s southern borders.

In this context, Lebanese media reported that President Joseph Aoun issued an immediate directive to the army, calling for a firm response to any Israeli incursion into Lebanese territory.

This response comes amid ongoing Israeli attacks that continue to target Lebanese governmental institutions and civilians despite the ceasefire agreement. The following report reviews the details of the incident and the positions of Lebanese officials.

In a statement, the Lebanese Presidency said that the president asked Army Commander General Rudolf Heikal to take all necessary measures to preserve national sovereignty and ensure the security of civilians.

This request came after the army commander provided a detailed report of the Israeli aggression, which led to the martyrdom of Ibrahim Salameh, a municipal employee, inside the municipal building.

President Aoun described the attack as a new link in the chain of Israeli aggressions and called on the Monitoring Committee for the Ceasefire to act to compel Israel to comply with the November ceasefire agreement and halt violations of Lebanese sovereignty.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati also condemned the raid and the targeting of the municipal employee, calling it “a blatant aggression against government institutions and national sovereignty.”

In consecutive statements, the Lebanese army described the events in Blida as “a criminal act, a violation of national sovereignty, and a breach of the ceasefire agreement” and emphasized that “the justifications Israel provides to rationalize its attacks are baseless.” The army also stated that it has requested the monitoring committee to intervene to stop these ongoing Israeli aggressions.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health confirmed that Ibrahim Salameh was killed by Israeli gunfire after forces entered approximately one kilometer into Lebanese territory. Meanwhile, the Israeli army, without mentioning the employee’s death, claims that its operation targeted Hezbollah-linked infrastructure.