On Tuesday, October 8, Israeli soldiers planted the Star of David flag in the ruins of the Lebanese village of Maroun Al-Ras, before withdrawing. Situated at an altitude of 900 meters, this border village has a stunning view of the Israeli city of Avivim, less than a kilometer away. This claim to victory, however fleeting, is the first since Israel launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon on September 30 to destroy “offensive infrastructure” of Hezbollah.
It is very symbolic. Maroun Al-Ras, the last town evacuated by Israeli troops in 2000, after eighteen years of occupation of southern Lebanon, was the scene of fierce fighting with Hezbollah during the summer war of 2006. From the Garden of Iran promontory, where The Israeli soldiers filmed themselves, the former head of Iranian diplomacy, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, had promised, in April 2023, “the collapse of the Zionist entity”.
The replica of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the statue of Iranian general Ghassem Soleimani, which were enthroned in this “garden of resistance”inaugurated in 2010 by former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, they were destroyed by Israeli soldiers. The presence of soldiers in Maroun Al-Ras had been controversial for several days due to the proximity of troops and tanks to base 6-52 of the Irish contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which denounced “an extremely dangerous event”.
Deployment of a fourth division
Israeli soldiers fired on tanks and destroyed ammunition seized near the base. The maneuvers were seen as a warning after UNIFIL refused to comply with Israel’s request on September 30 to evacuate 29 positions along the blue demarcation line. drawn up by the UN between Israel and Lebanon. “Israel’s stated goal is not to sit still but to “clear” a five-kilometer border strip from the blue line. Will they stay to prevent the return of Hezbollah? “They say their operations will only last two weeks but that is not credible.”estimates a diplomatic source.
Commandos and infantry units, accompanied by tanks and supported by intense airstrikes and artillery fire, carried out raids on the eastern border strip. This is the case in Yaroun, who appears completely shaven in a video filmed by a drone, which the world Could not authenticate.
You have 66.12% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
