At least one person was killed in a reported Israeli drone strike against the southern Lebanon town of Kunin on Sunday. Lebanese security sources were quoted in the media as reporting that the driver of the targeted vehicle was killed. He was identified as Ismail Ali Al-Zein, a member of Hezbollah.
Monday, in the latest in a barrage of Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, fighter jets attacked at least 10 targets in Rachaya al-Foukhar where a weapons depot and rocket launchers were hit. In addition, a series of rocket strikes hit Blida and Mays al-Jab al.
Hezbollah rocket fire hit the contentious area around Mt. Dov and Menara, and Israel responded with a series of artillery strikes against what they identified as the source of the rockets.
This is the largest spate of attacks since Wednesday, when the Israeli military killed at least 16 people, mostly paramedics, in a series of pre-dawn and evening attacks across Lebanon’s south.
Tit-for-tat attacks continued throughout the weekend, including a drone strike on a vehicle in which a number of UN peacekeepers were wounded. Israel was quick to issue a statement denying they’d attacked UN forces, breaking with its usual policy of not commenting on attacks reported by the media.
As Israel is responsible for nearly all strikes in southern Lebanon, and its military has the type of drones reportedly used in the UNIFIL attack, it’s not surprising that Tel Aviv was immediately blamed for the incident.
While the focus has shifted to Syria because of strikes there over the past few days, the Kunin incident underscores that Israel is not finished with attacking Lebanese territory and intends its operations in that country to continue.
The international community has been trying to broker a ceasefire in Lebanon, though so far it has not been successful. A deal would see Hezbollah relocated north of the Littani River and replaced with Lebanese security forces. The US has offered funding to produce infrastructure to support the new deployment.
Peace is a word Israel needs to learn but they seem to be slow learners.