Following the release of footage showing what appears to be Israeli forces blowing up a historic town in the south of the country, the United States has stated that it does not want to see entire villages destroyed in Lebanon.
Multiple blasts and smoke plumes are seen in a video that the Israeli military released on Wednesday, near at least two dozen buildings. The video was geolocated by CNN to the Nabatiyeh governate town of Mhaibib, which is approximately 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Israel border.
The Prophet Benjamin shrine, a religious, historic, and touristic site of more than 2,000 years old, can be seen shrouded in smoke in a separate video that CNN geolocated and shared on social media. CNN is unable to confirm the shrine's condition.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that the video it released showed the "dismantling of [a] Hezbollah terrorist tunnel network." Additionally, the IDF claimed that it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets in the Nabatiyeh area to dismantle what it claimed was the "underground infrastructure" utilized by the elite Radwan Forces of the Lebanese militant group.
In a later proclamation, the IDF said it struck a few towns in southern Lebanon, including Mhaibib. The IDF declined to remark further subsequent to being reached by CNN.
The Associated Press was informed by the mayor of a nearby village that families had already left the community.
After the IDF declined to comment, this post has been updated.
“Obviously, we do not want to see entire villages destroyed,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, when asked about the footage on Wednesday. “We don’t want to see civilian homes destroyed. We don’t want to see civilian buildings destroyed.”
Post a Comment