Hezbollah accuses US of complicity in Israeli attack on southern Lebanon

The Lebanese group Hezbollah on Thursday condemned the Israeli military assault on the southern Lebanese town of Blida, accusing the United States of “partnership and complicity” in the attack.

In a statement, Hezbollah said that Israeli forces “infiltrated the town of Blida at dawn,” stormed the municipal building, and “executed municipal employee Ibrahim Salameh while he was sleeping in his bed.” The group said the incident “confirms the brutality of this enemy, thirsty for killing and bloodshed without any justification.”

Hezbollah linked the operation to the recent visit of US envoy Morgan Ortagus, who chaired a meeting of the “Mechanism” committee—a body tasked with monitoring the cessation of hostilities agreement reached last November. The meeting was held in Lebanon on Wednesday.

According to Hezbollah, the Israeli attack “is being carried out with American partnership and complicity,” adding that Washington “has given the green light for every escalation aimed at pressuring Lebanon to implement projects that do not serve its national interests.”

The group also commended Lebanese President Joseph Aoun for urging the army to confront Israeli incursions and called for greater political and material support for the Lebanese Armed Forces “to strengthen their defensive capabilities.”

Hezbollah further appealed to the international community, the UN Security Council, and the UNIFIL peacekeeping force to “assume their responsibilities and take deterrent measures to stop the Israeli aggression.”

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