French President Emmanuel Macron announced a substantial aid package for Lebanon amounting to 100 million euros (approximately $108 million), aimed at addressing the pressing needs of the Lebanese population. During an international conference held on Thursday in Paris, Macron stressed the urgency of this assistance, especially for the numerous individuals displaced by conflict and for the communities providing refuge to them.
On the same day, the Lebanese military reported that an Israeli airstrike resulted in the deaths of three of its soldiers, including an officer, while they were conducting evacuations of the wounded in southern Lebanon. The military shared details on the social media platform X, indicating that the strike occurred near the town of Yater. Additionally, they highlighted that Israeli forces have conducted strikes against them on eight occasions since the outbreak of intensified conflict between Israel and Hezbollah last September.
The current turmoil stems from the Israel-Hamas war, which ignited on October 7, 2023, when militants from Hamas breached Israel’s security barriers, leading to the deaths of around 1,200 individuals, predominately civilians, and the abduction of approximately 250 others. In retaliation, Israel’s military actions in Gaza have reportedly claimed the lives of over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not make distinctions between combatants and non-combatants.
According to United Nations humanitarian officials, the situation in northern Gaza has reached “harrowing levels of death, injury, and destruction” as Israel continues its major military operations there. Concurrently, Israel is also engaged in hostilities with Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Lebanese Health Ministry estimates that the ongoing conflict has resulted in more than 2,500 deaths and 12,000 injuries over the past year. The fighting has led to the displacement of approximately 1.2 million individuals in Lebanon, including over 400,000 children, as reported by the United Nations children’s agency.
Hezbollah also confirmed the death of Hashem Safieddine, one of its prominent officials who was anticipated to succeed as the group’s leader, as a result of an Israeli airstrike. In recent weeks, Israeli operations have decimated much of Hezbollah’s senior leadership.
In summary, the situation continues to evolve with the recent Israeli strike killing three members of Lebanon’s military, which underscores the ongoing violence in the region. The Lebanese military stated this incident occurred while they were engaged in the evacuation of those injured by the conflict. In a statement on X, they mentioned that they have faced eight attacks from Israeli forces since the intensified fighting began with Hezbollah in September. There has been no immediate response from the Israeli military regarding the latest incident, though they are reportedly investigating it. Previously, Israel expressed regret over an earlier strike that mistakenly targeted Lebanese soldiers, claiming it had aimed for a vehicle associated with Hezbollah’s recent assaults without realizing it was part of the army.
Throughout the ongoing conflict, Lebanon’s armed forces have remained mostly passive, as they lack the capability to confront either Hezbollah or facilitate resistance against Israel’s military actions.