The Israeli drone strike on Tyre targeted a residential building, killing Awada and at least two others (Kawnat Haju/AFP via Getty)
A Hezbollah commander was killed Saturday evening in south Lebanon in a wave of deadly Israeli airstrikes that threatened to completely collapse a fragile ceasefire in place since last year.
The group mourned Radwan Salim Awada who was killed when Israel struck Tyre, marking the first attack on the coastal city since the US-brokered 27 November ceasefire.
Awada, known by his nom de guerre as Jihad, was head of operations for Hezbollah. He was targeted in a drone strike on a residential building in Tyre which also killed at least two other civilians, including one woman and an elderly man.
He is the latest Hezbollah operative to be assassinated by Israel, in spite of the ceasefire agreement that ended more than a year of cross-border hostilities that included a full-blown war and an Israeli ground invasion of south Lebanon.
On Sunday morning, an Israeli drone strike targeted a car in the southern border village of Ayta al-Shaab, killing a man identified as Hassan Nehmeh Zein.
A coffee shop that he owned was reportedly hit by Israeli artillery and destroyed hours earlier. It was not clear if Zein was the target, nor was it clear why he was assassinated.
Dangerous escalation
Israel on Saturday carried out more than 80 airstrikes on Lebanon’s south and eastern Baalbek district following a rocket attack which the Lebanese government says it is investigating, and Hezbollah denied any involvement in.
The attack was the first against Israel since December. While three missiles were reportedly intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome, three others fell in Lebanese territory.
Beirut rushed to calm the situation and called on Arab and international partners to press Tel Aviv to stop its attacks, the worst since the ceasefire came into effect. Israel placed full blame on the Lebanese government, saying it was responsible for any attacks from its soil, regardless of the group behind it.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen suggested bombing deeper in Lebanon, including the capital.
Five others, including a child, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the southern village of Toulin.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who was elected in January, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, whose government passed a vote of confidence in late February, have continuously reiterated that they are working to fully implement the ceasefire deal by disarming all militant groups in Lebanon, namely Hezbollah.
But they have also called on the US and France – the two mediators who are also part of a ceasefire monitoring committee – to pressure Israel into ending its violations of Lebanese sovereignty and pulling out of southern areas it is still occupying.
The ceasefire agreement obliges Israel to completely withdraw its forces, but Tel Aviv has maintained troops in five strategic border locations, saying it will only leave once the Lebanese army takes full control of south Lebanon.
Saturday’s tensions left crisis-ridden Lebanon on edge as the country reels from last year’s war which killed thousands and left several regions destroyed.
Despite the bombardment, Israel said it was still “committed” to the ceasefire but would take all necessary measures “to protect our citizens”.
Qatar condemned Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.
During a phone call with his Lebanese counterpart, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who is also the foreign minister, stressed “the need for all parties to fully commit to implementing the ceasefire agreement,” including the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from all Lebanese territories.
Jordan on Saturday also affirmed its “absolute” solidarity with Lebanon in the face of Israeli attacks.
During a phone call with Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also stressed “the necessity of implementing the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel in all its provisions”.
Safadi affirmed “the Kingdom’s absolute solidarity with brotherly Lebanon in confronting Israeli attacks,” adding that international action needed to be taken immediately “to stop the Israeli aggression against Lebanon”.
