Key facts
- Israeli forces fired artillery shells near motorcyclists approaching Kfar Tebnit, Lebanon, on Sunday.
- An Israeli drone flew overhead before shells were fired, apparently to intimidate the group.
- No injuries were reported, and the motorcyclists returned.
- The Lebanese army blocked access to the area.
- Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes on Thursday evening in the Nabatieh Governorate, including Kfar Tebnit.
- An Israeli airstrike destroyed a building in Kfar Tebnit and damaged surrounding homes.
Israeli forces fired artillery shells near a group of young men on motorcycles who attempted to enter the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Tebnit on Sunday, according to Lebanon's National News Agency. The men were traveling towards Nabatieh al-Fawqa and had reached the Kfar Tebnit roundabout when an Israeli drone flew overhead. Moments later, Israeli forces fired shells towards the men, apparently to intimidate them and force them to turn back. No injuries were reported, and the group returned.
The Lebanese army subsequently blocked vehicles and motorcycles from proceeding towards Nabatieh al-Fawqa. Mayor Zein Ghandour said he was coordinating with the army and authorities to allow residents to enter both towns, adding that there were no Israeli forces there and calling for the army to enter first to ensure residents’ safety.
Separately, Israeli warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes on Thursday evening targeting several towns in the Nabatieh Governorate in southern Lebanon, including Meiss El Jabal, Kfar Tebnit, Debbine, and Al-Shihabiya, according to WAFA. The airstrikes included the use of incendiary bombs in the Al-Labouneh area. The National News Agency reported that an Israeli airstrike completely destroyed a building in Kfar Tebnit, causing significant damage to surrounding homes.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli army shelled a number of targeted areas in southern Lebanon with heavy artillery, and carried out bombings of houses and infrastructure, a Lebanese military field source told Sputnik. Specifically, the outskirts of Kfar Tebnit, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, the Ali al-Taher heights, as well as the settlements of Ansar, Dohat Kfar Rumman and El-Mansouri were subjected to shelling. In Kfar Tebnit and Zawtar al-Gharbiya, Israeli forces detonated residential buildings and infrastructure. The source added that Israeli armored vehicles periodically enter Zawtar al-Gharbiya to a depth of up to 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) before soldiers detonate explosives and open fire.