Beirut – On October 30, 2025, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun responded to the Israeli raid in Blida by instructing the army to resist any Israeli attack on the “liberated areas in the south to protect our lands and our citizens.” Aoun ordered the army commander “to confront any Israeli invasion, to protect Lebanon’s land and the security of its citizens,” escalating rhetoric amid the fragile ceasefire.

The statement follows the IDF’s midnight incursion into Blida, where troops advanced one kilometer to a municipal building, killing a Hezbollah operative guarding a site, per IDF accounts. Local sources claimed an innocent employee was slain. Aoun’s directive signals Lebanon’s readiness to defend sovereignty, with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) deploying reinforcements along the Blue Line.