BEIRUT: The head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Lebanese Parliament, MP Fadi Alama, revealed that “the number of attacks on South Lebanon exceeded 5,736 until July 15, resulting in 538 martyrs and 1,850 wounded.”
The Foreign Affairs Committee met with several ambassadors from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Britain and Canada on Wednesday to present the results of ongoing Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon as part of preparations for the government's “post-ceasefire work”. .”
MP Alama said that “representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations were surprised when we talked about 1,800 hectares burned intentionally by the Israeli enemy. They were also surprised by the number of schools targeted and the number of students who could not complete their studies and moved to other places. In addition, they have been informed of the 28,000 new families that have been displaced from areas that are targeted daily.”
The lawmaker said it was urgent for the government to come up with a plan and a roadmap as soon as possible.
MP Wael Abu Faour, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, said that “human, health, urban, agricultural and environmental losses as a result of Israeli attacks have become enormous. Initial estimates by Lebanese institutions indicate a cost of around two billion dollars so far, in addition to other damages and losses.”
Abu Faour said: “This is a new challenge for the Lebanese state that must be addressed in Lebanon's Arab and international relations. The state is bankrupt and unable to assume such responsibilities, but at the same time it cannot abandon its responsibilities to its citizens, regardless of any contentious local political considerations regarding the feasibility of war or the justifications for it among some parties.”
Hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli army continued on Wednesday. According to Israeli media, “43 settlements were evacuated in the north, (and) more than 1,500 buildings, cars and infrastructure were damaged in the north. In addition, six industrial areas were affected and hundreds of businesses were forced to close due to Hezbollah strikes.”
Israel targeted the towns of Kafr Shuba, Tayr Harfa and Hula on Wednesday with airstrikes and artillery bombardments. A raid also targeted a house in the town of Kfar Hammam, which resulted in its destruction. This small village is located in Hasbaya District, in the eastern part of Nabatieh Governorate.
Hezbollah has released a new video recorded by the Hudhud drone in Israel, which shows footage from inside the Ramat David air base, located about 50 km from the border with Lebanon.
According to Hezbollah, “the footage was captured on Tuesday with a drone.”
The new eight-minute video released by Hezbollah shows several sensitive areas within the base, including jet fuel tanks, the headquarters of Squadron 109, an Iron Dome missile defense platform and ammunition depots. It also reveals the locations of the headquarters of Squadron 157 and Squadron 105. Hezbollah included an image of the base commander's office, exposing intricate details of the facility.
This is not the first time Hezbollah has used such tactics. The group previously released aerial images of critical facilities captured by similar unmanned aerial vehicles in Haifa and the Golan Heights.
Israeli media reacted strongly, with one channel stating: “Over eight minutes of Hezbollah videos exposing our vulnerability is a disgrace.”
The Israeli military downplayed the incident, saying the footage was captured by a drone designed solely for photography and did not affect the base's operations.
A Hezbollah source linked the time of the video release to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington.
Amid these developments, the Israeli army announced on Wednesday that “its reserve brigade has completed an exercise simulating war scenarios in Lebanon.”
Israel's Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, expressed support for an all-out war against Hezbollah, saying, “The sooner the better.”
However, Israel's ambassador to Russia, Simona Halperin, claimed that while Tel Aviv is prepared for military confrontation with Lebanon, it still prefers a diplomatic solution.
She emphasized that Israel is not interested in a full-scale war. “We cannot rule out a scenario where Israel could be forced to engage in a full-scale war on the northern front,” she added.
Coinciding with Israel's war rhetoric, the Canadian Embassy in Lebanon issued a renewed advisory for its citizens.
It urged “Canadians, permanent residents, their spouses and dependent children to heed travel advisories and leave the country while commercial flights are available.”
The embassy emphasized its focus on assisting individuals in obtaining the necessary travel documents and keeping families together during this process.
This escalation comes as thousands of Lebanese expatriates with dual citizenship from Canada, the US and Europe have arrived in Lebanon for the summer holidays.
