Bloody escalation in southern Lebanon: Martyrs and wounded in intense raids, and the occupation halts education on the border

Southern Lebanon witnessed a dangerous military escalation on Saturday, as Israeli occupation aircraft and a series of drones launched intense airstrikes targeting populated towns and villages. These attacks, accompanied by heavy artillery shelling, resulted in the martyrdom of eight people and the injury of eighteen others with varying degrees of severity, in an initial toll of the ongoing aggression.

Field sources reported that an Israeli drone targeted the town of Jibshit, affiliated with the Nabatieh district, leading to the immediate martyrdom of a young man, while another raid targeted a water fountain in the town of Ansar. The latter attack resulted in the martyrdom of a paramedic belonging to the Islamic Message Scouts Association, in addition to the injury of four citizens who were in the vicinity of the targeted site.

In a related context, medical reports confirmed the retrieval of two martyrs from under the rubble of a residential building in the Burj Al-Shamali area of the Tyre district, after it was subjected to direct shelling by warplanes. The town of Loubieh in the Sidon district also recorded one martyr and one injured person due to a similar airstrike, as part of the systematic targeting policy of residential areas and infrastructure.

The occupation forces committed a massacre in the town of Ansar in the Nabatieh governorate, where a drone targeted a house in the Al-Marj neighborhood, leading to the martyrdom of a citizen and his son and the injury of seven members of his family. This coincided with the complete destruction of the 'Al-Khalil' commercial center in the middle of the town, following a violent raid carried out by warplanes that turned the building into rubble.

The attacks were not limited to homes and commercial centers but also targeted vital roads, as a drone targeted a vehicle on the Sharifah-Haboush road, leading to the martyrdom of one person and the critical injury of another. The road leading to the Nabih Berri Governmental Hospital in Nabatieh was also subjected to an airstrike, resulting in three injuries among passersby.

In a remarkable field development, the occupation army carried out extensive demolition operations in the Arid Marjayoun area, followed by a series of airstrikes and heavy artillery shelling that targeted the vicinity of the main power station. These operations, according to observers, aim to create a buffer zone and destroy the elements of life in the Lebanese border villages.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health revealed horrific details of a massacre that occurred in the town of Adloun, where it confirmed the martyrdom of nine people, including six children, in an Israeli raid that targeted the town last night. These numbers show the extent of the deliberate targeting of civilians and children amid international silence regarding the continuous violations of ceasefire agreements.

On the opposite front, the Israeli occupation army announced exceptional security measures, including halting all educational activities and closing beaches in areas near the Lebanese border. This decision came after a security assessment indicated an escalation in confrontations with Hezbollah and the possibility of intense missile strikes on Israeli territory.

The occupation army called on residents of the Upper Galilee and the occupied Syrian Golan to remain near shelters and fortified areas during the upcoming Sunday and Monday. The military statement clarified that educational activities in those areas should be limited to buildings with protected spaces that can be quickly accessed when sirens sound.

These Israeli measures coincide with Hebrew media reports talking about the army's intention to expand its ground incursion into Lebanese territory. Sources indicated that the occupation has already begun installing military bridges over the Litani River, which portends a new phase of military escalation that may exceed the established rules of engagement.

For its part, Hezbollah continued to carry out qualitative military operations targeting gatherings and positions of the occupation forces with missiles and attack drones. The party affirmed in its statements that this escalation is a natural response to daily Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement and a rejection of the occupation's attempts to impose a new field reality on the border.

Israeli raids also included the towns of Kfardounin, Frun, and Gandourieh in the Bint Jbeil district, where warplanes carried out more than six consecutive raids. The towns of Jmaijmeh, Kharbet Selem, Haris, and Yater were also subjected to concentrated aerial and artillery shelling, causing severe material damage to private property and public facilities.

In the Nabatieh district, the town of Zibdin and the vicinity of the historic Beaufort Castle were subjected to intense shelling and successive airstrikes, while the town of Abba recorded two injuries due to a drone raid. These widespread attacks reflect the occupation's desire to paralyze movement in all districts of southern Lebanon and empty them of their residents through brutal military force.

The field situation in southern Lebanon remains open to all possibilities, amid continued Israeli raids and missile responses from the resistance. Fears are growing of a complete collapse of the ceasefire agreement, which was supposed to last until early July, amid international calls for restraint and avoiding a slide into an all-out war.

The Israeli army conducted a security assessment and decided to halt educational activities and close beaches in areas adjacent to the border with Lebanon.