Lebanon to file 'urgent complaint' with UN against Israel over Saturday airstrikes

Lebanon's mission to the UN is set to file an "urgent complaint" over airstrikes by Israel on Saturday targeting an economic zone in southern Lebanon, killing and injuring several civilians.

A Sunday statement said Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi directed Lebanon's permanent mission to the UN in New York to submit an urgent complaint to the UN Security Council and the secretary-general.

The complaint concerns "Israeli warplanes that bombed several construction equipment showrooms along the Al-Msayleh-Zahrani road in the Sidon district, killing and injuring civilians and inflicting severe damage on the targeted commercial facilities."

Raggi also instructed Lebanon's UN mission to "circulate the complaint as an official document to all Security Council member states," according to the statement.

On Saturday, Lebanon's official National News Agency reported that Israeli forces launched a series of airstrikes on six heavy machinery yards along the Al-Msayleh road in southern Lebanon, destroying more than 300 vehicles, in addition to causing other material losses worth millions of dollars.

Following a year-long cycle of cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel that began in October 2023, a ceasefire was reached in November 2024. The conflict had resulted in more than 4,000 deaths and around 17,000 injuries.

Under the terms of the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by this January. But it has so far only partially pulled out troops and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.