Bloody escalation in southern Lebanon: 5 martyrs in a raid on Shaqra and Hezbollah carries out 74 operations against the occupation

The Israeli occupation forces committed a new massacre in the town of Shaqra, in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon, where an airstrike resulted in the martyrdom of 5 citizens and the injury of two others with varying degrees of wounds. This raid comes in the context of an ongoing military escalation that has led, according to Lebanese Ministry of Health data, to an increase in the total number of casualties from the aggression since the beginning of March to 1238 martyrs and more than 3500 injured.

On the ground, Lebanese Hezbollah announced the implementation of an intense day of combat that included 74 military operations targeting Israeli army positions and movements along the border and deep inside. Hezbollah clarified in its statements that these attacks varied between missile strikes and the use of drones, confirming that 55 operations took place within Lebanese territory to counter infiltration attempts, while 19 other operations targeted positions within the occupied Palestinian territories.

Israeli aggressions were not limited to civilians but also affected international peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL), as the UN force announced the killing of one of its soldiers and the injury of another after a shell fell on a military position in the south of the country. Field sources indicated that Israeli artillery shelling directly targeted the headquarters of the Indonesian unit in the town of Adsheet Al-Qusayr, which raises the level of international tension regarding the repeated targeting of UN missions.

In details of Hezbollah's military harvest, the statement revealed the targeting of 5 strategic Israeli military bases, including the Ein Shemer, Raghavim, and Mishar bases, in addition to shelling 7 cities and settlements in various areas. Hezbollah confirmed its use of qualitative weapons, including 59 missiles and 6 suicide drones, which led to the destruction and damage of 16 Merkava tanks and the destruction of 15 bunkers and military fortifications of the Israeli army.

On the Israeli side, the occupation army admitted the killing of soldier Moshe Yitzhak Hakohen Katz and the injury of 15 other soldiers in the ongoing battles at the first line of border villages. These losses coincide with Hebrew reports indicating the occupation's intention to control a wide border strip, amidst extremist statements from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calling for the acquisition of vast areas of Lebanese land.

Humanitarianly, the violent raids and forced evacuation orders issued by the occupation army for the areas of Tyre, Maashouq, and Burj Al-Shamali caused a major wave of displacement, with estimates indicating that more than one million people have fled their homes. The targeted areas are experiencing harsh conditions amidst continuous artillery and aerial bombardment that does not differentiate between shelters or densely populated residential neighborhoods.

In the diplomatic context, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned of the consequences of Benjamin Netanyahu's continued policies, pointing to the possibility of committing genocide in Lebanon similar to what is happening in the Gaza Strip. These warnings come at a time when Israeli planes continue to launch their raids on the towns of Al-Haniyeh and Jouaiya, steadily increasing the number of victims daily.

Field sources also reported that the Lebanese resistance managed to repel 53 ground advance attempts by the occupation forces, using guided missiles, artillery shells, and attack drones. These confrontations focused on the towns of Al-Qantara, Dibel, and Al-Bayada, where military vehicles of the Hummer type and Merkava tanks were directly targeted, forcing the attacking forces to retreat on several fronts.

In conclusion, the situation in southern Lebanon remains prone to further escalation amidst the occupation's insistence on expanding the scope of its ground and air operations, alongside a remarkable field steadfastness of the resistance, which continues to shell sensitive military bases such as the 'Dado' and 'Nashrim' bases. Human suffering continues with the increasing numbers of martyrs and injured, amidst international inability to curb the aggression that has been ongoing for weeks.

Our operations come in defense of Lebanon and its people, and have included targeting military bases, cities, and settlements deep within the occupied territories.