Israeli forces carried out a pre-dawn raid on the southern Lebanese city of Blida on Thursday, killing a municipal employee who was sleeping inside the local town hall, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).
The incident occurred around 01:30 local time (23:30 GMT Wednesday), when Israeli troops reportedly entered the town and stormed the municipal building, where the victim, identified as Ibrahim Salameh, had been resting. The troops later withdrew around 04:00 (02:00 GMT).
The Israeli military confirmed the operation and said its forces had opened fire during a nighttime mission aimed at destroying Hezbollah infrastructure in the area.
“During the procedures, an immediate threat to the troops was identified and they fired to eliminate it,” an Israeli military spokesman said, adding that the incident was under review.
It was not immediately clear whether Salameh had been deliberately targeted.
The Lebanese army has since deployed to the area, while the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said it had no immediate details about the incident.
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Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the killing, describing it as “a blatant attack on the institutions and sovereignty of the Lebanese state.”
Despite the ceasefire agreement reached almost a year ago to end hostilities between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah, Israel has continued to conduct airstrikes and limited ground operations in southern Lebanon.
Israeli officials insist the actions are necessary to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its military presence along the border. Hezbollah, however, denies such activity, while the Lebanese government accuses Israel of repeatedly violating the terms of the ceasefire.
(Reuters)
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