Top Tweets for #StiRep

19 days ago

#Lebanon #STIREP | Residents who had returned to parts of the Nabatieh basin over the past three days following a period of relative de-escalation were forced to flee once again on Friday as hostilities resumed. Local communities that had briefly experienced around 24 hours of calm were displaced anew amid renewed airstrikes and military activity across the area. Lebanese President @LBpresidency Joseph Aoun condemned the ongoing @IDF escalation in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, saying the widening attacks and continued killings and destruction represent a dangerous and unacceptable escalation. Aoun said that dozens of innocent people, including women and children, have been affected and warned that the attacks are undermining all efforts aimed at maintaining the ceasefire and ending the war, especially following the recent developments between the United States and Iran. Despite the escalation, Aoun stressed that Lebanon remains committed to achieving a comprehensive ceasefire as soon as possible. He said he had instructed the Lebanese negotiating delegation ahead of the upcoming talks in Washington to prioritize this objective, emphasizing that a full ceasefire is essential before addressing other issues, including an Israeli withdrawal, the deployment of the Lebanese Army, and the return of prisoners. Meanwhile, fighting intensified on the southern Lebanon front. The Israeli military said four @IDF soldiers were killed overnight in a Hezbollah attack in the village of Kfar Tebnit. According to the IDF, a suspected drone or anti-tank missile struck the tank of Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, commander of the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Armored Brigade, killing all four crew members. Five additional soldiers were wounded in a later incident. Lebanon's Health Ministry reported that at least 18 people were killed in Israeli strikes, although it did not distinguish between civilians and combatants. For its part, Hezbollah's Operations Room rejected Israeli claims that the group had violated the ceasefire. In a statement issued Friday, Hezbollah argued that Israel had repeatedly breached ceasefire agreements since November 27, 2024, including understandings reached after the recent U.S.-Iran agreement, which called for ending hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. The group accused Israel of continuing air, ground, and artillery attacks, carrying out massacres, destroying residential areas and civilian infrastructure, and attempting to advance into areas it had failed to reach before previous ceasefire arrangements. Hezbollah claimed that Israeli attacks on civilians followed resistance operations against an Israeli advance toward Ali al-Taher Hill and vowed to continue confronting any future attacks. The group said its fighters had inflicted significant casualties and damage on Israeli forces and military vehicles. On Thursday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said that any future negotiations with Israel must be based on the principle of mutual security. He firmly rejected any proposal centered on Hezbollah's disarmament, describing it as an Israeli attempt to achieve politically what it failed to achieve through war. Qassem called for implementing the November 27, 2024 agreement, outlining five priorities: ending Israeli attacks by air, land, and sea, securing a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, returning prisoners, enabling displaced residents to return to their homes across Lebanon, and beginning reconstruction efforts. He also rejected reports of potential buffer zones or security areas inside Lebanon, insisting that Israeli forces must leave all Lebanese territory. The Israeli military, meanwhile, said it had struck more than 80 Hezbollah targets across southern and eastern Lebanon since Thursday night. According to the IDF, the targets included command centers, rocket launchers, and other Hezbollah infrastructure in Nabatieh and surrounding areas, following several Hezbollah attacks against Israeli troops. https://t.co/E1AnZhraSO