Tensions continue to rise along the Lebanese–Occupied Palestine border. After a full day of Israeli air raids in southern Lebanon and provocative overflights above Beirut and other regions, the enemy’s ground incursion into the town of Blida — which resulted in the assassination of municipal employee Ibrahim Salameh — has opened the door to a new level of official Lebanese confrontation with the latest U.S. threats.
The escalation coincided with an announcement from Tel Aviv late last night that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had convened a security cabinet meeting to discuss the Lebanese front, signalling a dangerous turn toward broadening the aggression.
President Aoun Orders the Army to Confront Israeli Incursions
Yesterday’s aggression marked a significant shift in Lebanon’s official stance. President Joseph Aoun instructed the Lebanese Army Command to confront Israeli occupation forces following their incursion into Blida and the cold-blooded execution of municipal worker Ibrahim Salameh.
Aoun summoned Army Commander Rudolf Heikal and, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, directed him to respond to any future Israeli incursions into liberated territories and deploy military units along the border with occupied Palestine.
He also urged that the UNIFIL coordination committee (“Mechanism Committee”) should not merely record violations but actively pressure Israel to comply with the ceasefire terms outlined in UN Resolution 1701.
Sources close to the presidency reported that Aoun was “deeply outraged” by the incident, declaring,
“What happened cannot pass in silence. Israel is telling us clearly that it neither wants negotiations nor peace.”
He added,
“In the past, they assassinated members of the Resistance under the pretext of targeting Hezbollah sites — and we remained silent, believing these were wartime consequences. But today, their deception is evident, and our patience has limits. The army’s role is not merely to oversee weapons control but to defend the nation’s sovereignty.”
U.S. Pressure and the ‘Disarm Hezbollah’ Agenda
Aoun’s firm response came just hours after a meeting of the Mechanism Committee attended by U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus, who demanded that the Lebanese Army immediately begin implementing a plan to disarm Hezbollah, claiming that Washington possesses “intelligence indicating the party is rebuilding its capabilities.”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, in turn, justified Israel’s aggression, saying:
“If Hezbollah were disarmed, Israel’s operations would stop,”
adding that any coordination between the Lebanese Army and Hezbollah would “complicate Washington’s efforts to assist Lebanon.”
In Beirut, political observers described Aoun’s decision as “an advanced position that strengthens national unity alongside the Resistance.”
They stressed its importance at a time when the Zionist enemy has shifted to ground infiltration tactics that could reach “any area of Lebanon, even the southern suburbs of Beirut.”
Security Findings: Israeli Preparations Inside Lebanon
Lebanese security agencies informed the presidency that Israeli intelligence activities inside Lebanon have intensified.
Investigations with recently captured spy networks revealed that the enemy has been preparing for covert military operations, including renting several warehouses across the country to be used for weapons storage and sabotage missions.
According to information obtained by Al-Akhbar, Lebanese Army units stationed in border villages began implementing the president’s directive yesterday. Reinforcements were deployed to Sahl al-Mahafir near Ayta al-Shaab and eastern Blida to secure border positions.
Tel Aviv Prepares for a Broader War
In Tel Aviv, Netanyahu’s office confirmed the emergency security consultations, citing what it called “Hezbollah’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its capabilities.”
An Israeli military source told public broadcaster KAN that Hezbollah has been partially successful in rebuilding its offensive and defensive capacity. The source added that Tel Aviv notified Washington that “strikes on Lebanon will intensify,” and that the U.S. administration is concerned about the Lebanese government’s reaction.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar claimed that Hezbollah, “with Iranian support,” is “rearming and expanding its arsenal,” warning that “Israel cannot bury its head in the sand in the face of Hezbollah’s growing threat.”
Lebanon Moves from Condemnation to Readiness
For the first time in years, Lebanon appears to have transitioned from mere condemnation to military readiness.
Hezbollah described Aoun’s decision as a “turning point with strategic implications,” while Speaker Nabih Berri said,
“What happened is an act of aggression that cannot be contained through statements.”
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called the killing of Ibrahim Salameh a “flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty and institutions.”
Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc — “Loyalty to the Resistance” — issued a sharp statement denouncing “the movements of U.S. envoys carrying the Zionist agenda and threats to Lebanon.”
Details of the Incursion and the Assassination of Ibrahim Salameh
At dawn yesterday, an armoured Israeli unit penetrated more than 1.5 kilometres inside Lebanese territory east of Blida, through the Khirbet Shaaib–Bir Shaaib route toward the valley area, passing through inhabited neighbourhoods.
The soldiers stormed the municipal building, where they confronted Ibrahim Salameh, a municipal employee who had been sleeping inside after his home was destroyed in a previous Israeli attack.
Residents reported hearing bursts of gunfire and shouting during the two-hour incursion.
After the withdrawal, Lebanese Army forces arrived to find Salameh lying in a pool of blood.
Civil defence teams confirmed he had been shot multiple times with automatic weapons and left to bleed to death — a deliberate execution that further inflamed public outrage across the south.
