Deadly Dawn Raids Target Civilians
At least four people were killed and more than 20 others wounded in Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Sunday morning, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The strikes, which began at dawn, hit multiple civilian areas in the Nabatieh district, including Nabatieh al-Fawqa, the Al-Rahibat neighbourhood of Nabatieh city, Arab Salim and Kfar Remman.
In Arab Salim, two women were killed and six people injured, including two young girls when Israeli warplanes struck a residential house, completely destroying it. Another two people were killed in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, while four women were wounded in Kfar Remman. Among the targets was the home of Ali Moallem, the former mayor of Kfar Remman, located near the town’s industrial area.
Ghandour Hospital Destroyed in Escalation
In a particularly egregious act, Israeli airstrikes completely destroyed Ghandour Hospital in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, a facility that had already ceased operations around two months ago due to intensified Israeli attacks on the area. The Lebanese Health Ministry condemned the destruction as “another violation of protection afforded to medical facilities under international humanitarian law”.
The hospital had played a vital role during previous rounds of escalation, providing health services to residents and serving as a shelter for displaced people. According to the ministry, 17 hospitals across Lebanon have been damaged by Israeli strikes since March 2, while three hospitals in southern Lebanon have been completely put out of service. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s office called Sunday’s strikes, which also damaged a Finance Ministry building, “a dangerous escalation” targeting “purely civilian administrations and health centres”.
US-Brokered Framework Agreement in Tatters
Sunday’s attacks came despite a US sponsored framework agreement signed on June 26, which was supposed to provide for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory in exchange for the deployment of the Lebanese army. That agreement has proven to be a dead letter, as Israel continues its daily violations with impunity. The UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL has reported a marked deterioration in the security situation along the Blue Line, with peacekeepers recording 56 projectiles fired by the Israeli military on September 1 alone, a figure that climbed to 84 the following day.
No projectile launches by Hezbollah have been detected since June 21, underscoring that the escalation is being driven almost entirely by Israeli aggression. Peacekeepers continue to record daily Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace, along with airstrikes, ground activity and naval operations.
Israel’s Expanding Occupation and Territorial Ambitions
Israel continues to occupy large swathes of southern Lebanon, including territory it has held for decades and additional areas seized during the 2023-2024 conflict. During the current offensive, Israeli forces have advanced more than 10 kilometres into Lebanese territory, marking the deepest incursion since Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000.
The Israeli military is now reportedly considering establishing a new “security zone” extending 2 to 4 kilometres inside Lebanese territory as part of a plan to reduce its troop presence while maintaining effective control over Lebanese land. This proposed “gray line” would formalise the permanent occupation of Lebanese soil, a flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. Lebanese authorities report that Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed 4,358 people and injured 12,359 others, while displacing more than one million people from their homes.