Israel carried out air strikes in Lebanon and issued several eviction demands on Wednesday, as Lebanese army chiefs asked for western help to secure the country's borders.
In one attack, on Qennarit in southern Lebanon, at least 19 people were injured including journalists who were covering an Israeli strike after an eviction order. Two of the wounded were admitted to intensive care, Lebanon's Health Ministry said.
The Israeli military said one of its strikes killed a Hezbollah member, Abu Ali Salameh, and hit several other “terror targets” linked to the group in the south of Lebanon. Hezbollah later acknowledged Mr Salameh's death and that he was a member of the group.
The Israeli military later issued eviction orders for three south Lebanese villages, claiming - without providing evidence - that the buildings highlighted were home to Hezbollah infrastructure. These areas were later attacked by Israel.
A handful of journalists covering the expected attack on Qennarit suffered slight injuries 2from debris after the bombing.
There were no immediate reports of other casualties across Wednesday. But the Lebanese military said the strikes “hinder the army's efforts and obstruct the completion of its plan” to establish state control of arms.
It called the strikes a “flagrant breach” of the 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel has carried out hundreds of similar attacks in Lebanon since then, usually claiming it is destroying Hezbollah infrastructure or eliminating members of the group.
In a statement on Wednesday's strikes, Israel accused the Lebanese army of tipping off Abu Ali Salameh about an Israeli move against a Hezbollah weapons depot last month. That led to the property being empty after “several suspicious boxes” were removed, the Israeli military said.
Lebanon's army has been instructed to disarm Hezbollah under a contentious US-backed plan, beginning in the southern border area. Hezbollah says it will not give up its weapons, and the US has expressed frustration with the pace of progress by the under-equipped Lebanese military.
The Lebanese army's top general, Rodolphe Haykal, met ambassadors from the US, Britain and Canada on Wednesday to discuss separate plans to secure Lebanon's northern and eastern borders and tackle smuggling.
“Our commitment to protecting the borders is absolute, and we have made considerable efforts and sacrifices towards this end,” said Gen Haykal, who is expected to visit Washington next month after having a trip cancelled late last year.
“However, effectively achieving this goal requires significant military support, given the scale of the challenges on the northern and eastern borders,” the general told the ambassadors at an army headquarters in Yarzeh.
British ambassador Hamish Cowell said the LAF had "shown exceptional professionalism and resilience in safeguarding Lebanon’s sovereignty during these challenging times".
