Lebanon says Israeli blasts near castle 'direct threat'

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun warned that Israeli detonations near a Unesco-listed castle threatened a recent deal with Israel. Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported that 'Israeli forces triggered very powerful explosions' overnight, specifically 'in the area of the Beaufort fortress', a Crusader-era castle located near the southern border occupied by Israel.
Aoun labelled it 'an extremely dangerous escalation' and 'a direct threat to the process which was launched as part of the framework agreement' reached with Israel during US-sponsored talks last month, his office said. Under the Israel-Lebanon deal, Lebanon's army is to disarm Hezbollah and the Israeli military is to withdraw from 'pilot zones' where Lebanese forces will subsequently deploy. The timing of the blasts ahead of another round of talks with Israel in Rome next week 'sends negative messages and undermines international efforts aimed at consolidating stability', Aoun added.
The NNA said huge blasts resounded over a large area, shattering glass in nearby villages, while an AFP correspondent heard large explosions and saw dust covering a swathe of forest area. Citing Lebanon's National Centre for Geophysics, Aoun's statement said the detonations 'created ground waves equivalent to a 3.8 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale'. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned 'the ongoing Israeli aggressions in the south', including 'the damage to archaeological sites... that constitute a precious part of the history of our homeland'.
The Israeli military said one of its soldiers was moderately injured during a 'close-quarters encounter' with Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon overnight on Saturday. 'Overnight (Saturday), an IDF officer was moderately injured during operational activity in southern Lebanon,' the military said in a statement, specifying that the soldier was 'injured during a close-quarters encounter' in the area. — AFP