Lebanon's President Aoun orders army to confront Israeli aggression

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday instructed the commander of the army to confront any Israeli incursion into southern Lebanon, after Israeli forces entered a town in southern Lebanon, killing an officer in a municipality building in an overnight raid.

The Lebanese state news agency NNA reported that Israeli troops advanced into the town of Blida in the Marjayoun district with military and ATV vehicles, advancing nearly a kilometre from the border, in “a dangerous and unprecedented attack.”

The Israeli soldiers stormed the Blida municipality building at 1:30 am (2330 GMT) after midnight and killed a municipal officer.

Locals in the area reported screams and cries for help from the building until the Israeli forces withdrew at around 4 am (0200 GMT).

Lebanese army forces transferred the body of the deceased officer to the hospital after the withdrawal of the Israeli troops, the agency reported.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on the media report.

The Israeli army has killed more than 4,000 people and injured nearly 17,000 during its aggression on Lebanon, which began in October 2023 and turned into a full-scale offensive in September 2024.

A ceasefire was reached in November 2024 following a year-long cycle of cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel, which had been violated by the latter over 4,500 times.

Under the truce, the Israeli army was supposed to have withdrawn from southern Lebanon this January, but it only partially pulled out and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.