Lebanon’s Aoun says army to confront Israeli forces after deadly incursion

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has instructed the equipped forces to face immoderate further Israeli incursion successful the country’s southbound aft Israeli forces crossed their shared borderline and killed a municipal idiosyncratic during an overnight raid.

The pivotal announcement was made connected Thursday aft days of Israeli attacks connected Lebanese territory successful near-daily Israeli violations of a ceasefire that went into effect successful November.

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The Lebanese forces, dissimilar the equipped radical Hezbollah, person mostly stayed connected the sidelines of the struggle with Israel. But Aoun, a erstwhile commandant of the Lebanese army, appears to person yet mislaid his patience with the Israeli-forced presumption quo.

Aoun ordered the service to “confront immoderate Israeli incursion into liberated confederate territory, successful defence of Lebanese territory and the information of citizens”, during a gathering with Brigadier General Rodolphe Haykal, according to a connection from the presidency.

The bid came conscionable hours aft Israeli soldiers entered the borderline municipality of Blida and stormed the municipality hall, sidesplitting municipal idiosyncratic Ibrahim Salameh, who had been sleeping there, the state-owned National News Agency (NNA) reported.

مراسلة «الأخبار»: استشهاد موظف بلدية بليدا، إبراهيم سلامة، برصاص قوة إسرائيلية توغلت فجر اليوم لأكثر من ألف متر داخل الأراضي اللبنانية واقتحمت مركز البلدية، حيث كان يبيت في إحدى غرفه. بقيت القوة داخل المبنى نحو ساعتين وأطلقت عدة رشقات نارية أصابت سلامة، وألحقت أضراراً في جدران… pic.twitter.com/63BsFGxisx

— جريدة الأخبار – Al-Akhbar (@AlakhbarNews) October 30, 2025

Translation: Al-Akhbar report: Martyrdom of Blida Municipality worker Ibrahim Salameh by gunfire from an Israeli unit that infiltrated much than a 1000 metres [0.6 miles] into Lebanese territory astatine dawn contiguous and stormed the municipality centre, wherever helium was staying overnight successful 1 of its rooms. The unit remained wrong the gathering for astir 2 hours and fired respective bursts of gunfire that struck Salameh, causing harm to the centre’s walls and contents.

Village residents quoted by NNA said the raid lasted respective hours and Israeli forces withdrew astatine dawn.

The Israeli subject confirmed its forces had operated successful Blida overnight, saying they opened occurrence aft identifying “an contiguous threat” during an cognition to destruct infrastructure held by Hezbollah but did not supply evidence. The incidental was nether review, it added.

It was not instantly wide whether Salameh had been deliberately targeted and, if so, wherefore helium would be.

Aoun condemned the onslaught arsenic portion of a signifier of Israeli aggression and said it was launched soon aft a gathering of the committee monitoring the cessation of hostilities.

He urged the committee to spell beyond signaling violations and to property Israel to abide by the November 27 ceasefire and halt its breaches of Lebanese sovereignty.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the incursion arsenic “a blatant onslaught connected the institutions and sovereignty of the Lebanese state”.

Lebanon’s service has deployed to the country but did not supply details of the operation. The United Nations peacekeeping unit successful confederate Lebanon said it was seeking much accusation connected the incident.

Hezbollah backmost Lebanese army

Aoun’s orders for the service to face Israeli incursions person been welcomed by Hezbollah, which said it urged afloat enactment for the army.

Hezbollah, created during the Israeli penetration of Lebanon successful 1982 and concern of the south, has been the main determination absorption to Israel successful the past fewer decades, harrying Israel retired of Lebanon successful 2000, warring a 2006 warfare to a deadlock but past suffering immense losses successful the hostilities that began successful 2023 and the consequent warfare that saw its apical leaders killed.

The NNA besides reported that Israeli forces carried retired aerial strikes connected the areas of Mahmoudiyeh and Jarmak successful confederate Lebanon. No accusation was instantly disposable regarding the casualties oregon harm inflicted. The Israeli subject issued a connection saying it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure.

Meanwhile, successful the capital, Beirut, residents heard the large buzz of an Israeli Hermes 450 drone, utilized for surveillance but besides susceptible of carrying aggregate deadly payloads.

Israel’s violations of the airspace supra Beirut are communal and implicit the past week person go an astir regular occurrence.

Israel has repeatedly bombarded Lebanon, violating the November ceasefire that sought to extremity much than a twelvemonth of hostilities that escalated into months of full-blown warfare with Hezbollah. In October alone, Israeli strikes person killed much than 20 people successful Lebanon, according to the country’s Ministry of Public Health.

As portion of past year’s ceasefire, Israeli troops were to retreat from confederate Lebanon and Hezbollah was to propulsion backmost northbound of the Litani River and dismantle immoderate subject infrastructure successful the south.

According to the agreement, lone the Lebanese service and UN peacekeepers are to beryllium deployed successful confederate Lebanon, but Israel inactive occupies 5 positions successful confederate Lebanon.

Under unit from the United States and fearing an escalation of Israeli strikes, the Lebanese authorities has moved to statesman disarming Hezbollah, which has said it volition not laic down its weapons.

Lebanese officials judge Israel’s near-daily strikes purpose to forestall immoderate reconstruction successful the war-ravaged south.

Israel’s attacks astir the Middle East haven’t ceased with the caller ceasefire successful Gaza, which itself continues to beryllium bombarded by the Israeli military.

Lebanon, Syria and the occupied West Bank person each witnessed Israeli strikes successful the past week, giving credence to the thought that Israel is trying to support its neighbours destabilised and weak, analysts say.