BEIRUT, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon is determined to "regain every inch of its land under Israeli occupation," Lebanese Army Commander Rodolphe Haykal said Tuesday during an inspection tour of military units in northern Lebanon.
According to Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA), Haykal condemned recent Israeli attacks on Lebanese forces, offering condolences for a soldier killed Friday and wishing a swift recovery to those wounded after an army patrol came under fire while carrying out a security operation in the Bab al-Tabbaneh area.
Civil peace remains "the strongest weapon" to protect Lebanon, he said, warning that any attempt to undermine or question the military institution, knowingly or not, serves "the objectives of the Israeli occupation" and risks fueling internal strife.
Earlier in the day, the NNA reported that Israeli forces escalated operations across southern Lebanon at dawn, carrying out widespread demolitions, stepping up aerial surveillance, and issuing evacuation warnings despite an ongoing 10-day ceasefire.
The development underscored continued tensions along Lebanon's southern border, with repeated reports of Israeli destruction and military activity despite the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which took effect at midnight between Thursday and Friday local time (2100 GMT).
Amid the tensions, Lebanon's Disaster Risk Management Unit reported Tuesday that the number of displaced people in shelters has reached 118,624, including 30,815 families, while the death toll has climbed to 2,454 and injuries to 7,658.
