Israel employs advanced technology in security violations: Lebanese minister

BEIRUT

In its recent attacks on Lebanon, Israel used sophisticated technological tools, Lebanese interior minister said on Saturday, warning that the security situation is "serious and critical."

"The Israeli enemy is using advanced technologies in its operations against Lebanon," Bassam Mawlawi said in an extraordinary meeting of the country's Central Internal Security Council.

The meeting had been prompted by a series of Israeli strikes on various Lebanese regions, with Mawlawi saying there had been a significant security breach.

He urged all security forces to remain vigilant and monitor any suspicious activities due to the heightened security risks.

This escalation follows a "new wave" of Israeli aggression, with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declaring that the conflict with Hezbollah has entered a "new phase."

Recent Israeli airstrikes have resulted in numerous casualties, including the deaths of 31 individuals, among them children and women, in an attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut.

The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that the strikes on Friday left 68 others injured.

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have intensified in recent days amid an escalation in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel’s deadly war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 41,400 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi