Lebanese military official to AFP: Israel blocked army from inspecting Beirut site before strike

A senior Lebanese military official told AFP that Israel prevented the Lebanese Army from inspecting a location in Beirut's southern suburbs before carrying out airstrikes late Thursday.

"During the day, the Israelis sent a message indicating there was a suspected weapons site in the southern suburbs of Beirut and inquired about it," the official said, referring to a site within a destroyed building complex.

The Lebanese Army surveyed the location and responded via the ceasefire monitoring committee, which includes Israel, Lebanon, the United States, France, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), that no weapons were present.

However, the official said Israel did not issue any further messages through the committee before striking multiple locations in the area later that night.

"When Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted a warning about upcoming strikes, the Lebanese Army attempted to inspect the first referenced location, but Israeli warning strikes prevented our forces from completing the mission," the official said.


The Lebanese Army, in a statement on Friday, condemned the attack, warning that continued violations of the ceasefire agreement and Israel's refusal to cooperate with the monitoring committee undermined both the Mechanism and the military's role. The army added that such actions could force it to reconsider its participation in the monitoring framework.