Israeli Airstrikes in Southern Lebanon Kill 13; UNIFIL Nepali Battalion Compound Hit

Beirut. Thirteen people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Friday night. According to official Lebanese sources, the compound of the Nepali battalion of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was also hit by shelling.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health's Emergency Operations Center stated that the Israeli attack directly targeted a joint emergency point operated by the Islamic Health Authority and the Islamic Risala Scouts. Two rescuers were killed and five others were injured in the incident.

In Nabatieh, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli warplane attacked a house in the Al-Rahibat neighborhood, killing six people, including a child. Another Israeli attack occurred in the southern border town of Bint Jbeil, where three people were killed. Furthermore, two children lost their lives in an airstrike on a building in the coastal city of Ghazieh.

According to the National News Agency, Israeli shells also landed inside the compound of the UNIFIL Nepali Battalion in the southern Lebanese border village of Meiss al-Jabal. The Honorary Consulate of Nepal in Beirut strongly condemned the attack.

The statement noted that no Nepali soldiers were injured. However, it emphasized that targeting a United Nations peacekeeping location is a serious violation of international law and the principles protecting UN personnel.

Israeli shells landed inside the compound of the UNIFIL Nepali Battalion in Meiss al-Jabal. According to the Honorary Consulate, no Nepali soldiers were injured.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah claimed to have carried out several retaliatory actions against Israeli targets. The group announced rocket fire on gatherings of Israeli soldiers and vehicles in Wadi Hounin, opposite the Lebanese border village of Maroun er-Ras, and at the recently established Blat military site in southern Lebanon. The group also declared targeting the Geva drone control base east of the Israeli city of Safed and launching rockets for the third time that day at an Israeli army gathering in the Metula settlement.

On Friday night, Israel also launched a new wave of airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, considered a Hezbollah stronghold. This signals a further escalation in the ongoing cross-border conflict. Israeli drones dropped leaflets in parts of Beirut containing messages inciting residents against Hezbollah.   News Agency Nepal