Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri condemned ‘Israel’ on Saturday for disregarding all agreements and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, as dawn airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least nine people, including an entire family of mostly women and children.
In a strongly worded statement, Berri described the Israeli aggression on the towns of Ansar and Deir Zahrani in the Nabatieh district as “two massacres” perpetrated by Israeli occupation aircraft, falling within the context of an ongoing “war of extermination” waged against Lebanese land, its people, heritage, and everything connected to human life in the South.
Berri asserted that the massacres prove “conclusively that the Israeli political and military leadership places no value on any agreements, laws, or efforts to end the war and tension in Lebanon, as well as in the region.”
The Speaker called on all Lebanese political forces to approach the Israeli aggression, its repercussions, and its dimensions from a purely national perspective, “far removed from any regional, sectarian, or partisan bias.” He emphasized that the attacks on Ansar, Deir Zahrani, Mansouri, and the villages of the Nabatieh district represent “a call, sealed with the blood of children and women,” to strengthen national unity.
Berri also placed responsibility on the sponsors of negotiations and ceasefire agreements to “stop this war of extermination before it is too late.”
Religious Leader Backs Unity Call
Separately, the Grand Mufti of the Jaafari sect, Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan, affirmed that “there is no greater guarantee for Lebanon than the army, the resistance, and national unity.” He stated that the Lebanese people are obligated to defend national unity and its governing framework, warning that “there is no greater national sin than that of the executive authority preventing the army from fulfilling its most crucial defensive duty.”
Casualties and Widespread Destruction
The attacks early Saturday marked the first Israeli strikes on the town of Ansar since the ceasefire came into effect, killing seven people — including children — and wounding two others, according to the Ministry of Health.
In Deir Zahrani, two Palestinians were killed and nine others wounded in an initial toll from the Israeli aggression, the ministry reported.
At dawn, Israeli warplanes conducted eight airstrikes on the Ali Taher hill in the Nabatieh district. The attacks also targeted the vicinity of the Teachers’ Training College, the Deir neighborhood, and the area surrounding the main square in Nabatieh al-Fawqa.
The aggression comes despite the so-called “framework” agreement and direct negotiations between the Israeli and Lebanese governments. In recent weeks, Israeli occupation forces have continued operations including the bombing and demolition of homes, bulldozing of cemeteries, and burning of forests, alongside artillery shelling and drone strikes across southern Lebanon.
Source: Al-Manar English Wbsite