Iran slams Israeli strikes in Lebanon, says guarantors complicit through inaction

Iran has condemned Israeli strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon that killed one person and wounded several others, calling the attacks a fresh breach of the November 2024 ceasefire and blaming them on the inaction of the deal’s guarantors.

In a statement released on Friday, Spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Esmaeil Baghaei said the attacks were a “blatant violation of Lebanon's territorial integrity and national sovereignty.”

Baghaei noted that Israel has violated the ceasefire nearly 5,000 times in the past few months, causing civilian casualties, destruction of infrastructure, and disruption of Lebanon’s reconstruction and economic development.

The Iranian diplomat criticized France and the United States — as guarantors of the ceasefire — for “continued inaction and appeasement” toward Israel over repeated violations of the agreement, noting that Paris and Washington are "directly responsible" for the breaches.

One killed, 7 injured in Israeli strikes on civilian facilities in Lebanon

The Israeli military conducts fresh airstrikes on Lebanon, killing one person and wounding seven others in yet another violation of the country’s sovereignty and a ceasefire deal with the Hezbollah resistance movement.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) said two Israeli attacks targeted the southern town of Bnaafoul in Sidon, and a third in Khirbet Dweir between the towns of Sarafand and Baysariyeh.

Israeli fighter jets also struck an area between the towns of Roumine and Houmine in the Nabatieh district.

An Israeli drone bombed the town of Blida in the Marjayoun district as residents were harvesting olives.

NNA said that Israeli airstrikes also targeted the districts of Sidon, Marjayoun, and Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, as well as Baalbek in the east.

The Public Health Emergency Operations Center at the Lebanese Health Ministry said one person was killed in the eastern town of Shmustar, while one was injured in Bna'foul in the Sidon district. Another six individuals were wounded in the Nabatieh district.

An Israeli army statement claimed it had “struck Hezbollah infrastructure... in the Mazraat Sinai area in southern Lebanon.”

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strikes, saying that "this repeated Israeli aggression is part of a systematic policy aiming to hinder economic recovery and attack national stability under false security pretenses."

"This aggressive behavior constitutes a grave violation of Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire agreement and confirms that Israel continues to violate its international obligations and use force outside of any legal framework, which requires an international response to put an end to these condemnable violations,” Aoun added.

The resolution, which brokered a ceasefire in the 33-day-long war Israel launched against Lebanon in 2006, calls on the occupying Tel Aviv regime to respect Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Hezbollah chief hails Lebanese resistance as ethical, political choice

Hezbollah secretary general Sheikh Naim Qassem has praised the Lebanese nation’s resistance against enemies, calling it an ethical and political choice.

The repeated violations of Lebanese airspace and sovereignty come amid a US-Israeli push to disarm Hezbollah, which is seen as the only credible military force equipped to confront the occupation and prevent further Israeli advances.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam expressed his approval of the extension of UNIFIL's mandate while underscoring the necessity for Israel to withdraw from the territories it occupies in Lebanon.

Critics, however, raise concerns about how Lebanese forces can establish control in the south while Israeli troops continue to be present and intensify their attacks.

As demands to disarm Hezbollah intensify from Washington and Israel, numerous individuals in Lebanon contend that these initiatives overlook the fundamental problem of Israel's ongoing infringements on Lebanese sovereignty.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk