By Anietie anii-bassey
Lebanon’s parliament voted Monday to extend its mandate for two additional years, a controversial decision taken as the country grapples with the widening regional war involving Israel, Iran and allied armed groups, and as Israeli military operations escalate across Lebanese territory.
Lawmakers approved the extension during a tense parliamentary session in Beirut, arguing that the deteriorating security situation and mass displacement of civilians have made it impossible to organize nationwide elections. According to official results, 76 members of parliament supported the measure, while 41 voted against it and four abstained.
The extension was also backed by the parliamentary bloc aligned with Hezbollah, whose 13 representatives voted in favor of postponing elections. The move means the current legislature will remain in power well beyond its original mandate as the country struggles to maintain basic political stability during one of the most dangerous security crises it has faced in years.
Parliamentary elections had been scheduled for May, but the escalating conflict along Lebanon’s southern border and growing instability across the region have forced authorities to reconsider the feasibility of holding a national vote. Officials say the ongoing hostilities have displaced more than half a million people, many of whom have fled areas near the Israeli border or districts targeted by repeated airstrikes.
Large parts of southern Lebanon have been severely affected by the fighting, making voter registration, campaigning and polling operations nearly impossible. Government officials warned that attempting to hold elections under such circumstances could undermine their legitimacy and put civilians at further risk.
The parliamentary decision comes as the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed groups continues to intensify, with Israeli forces carrying out expanded operations against Hezbollah positions inside Lebanon.
The Israeli military said Monday it had launched a series of operations targeting financial and logistical networks linked to Hezbollah, including facilities associated with Al-Qard Al-Hasan, a financial institution that Israeli officials accuse of serving as a key funding mechanism for the militant organization.
According to Israeli military statements, ground troops operating in southern Lebanon conducted what were described as “focused raids” aimed at destroying Hezbollah infrastructure. These operations included strikes against storage facilities, operational centers and other locations believed to be tied to the group’s military activities.
Israeli officials say the campaign is intended to weaken Hezbollah’s operational capacity following the outbreak of the broader regional war that erupted last week. The conflict has rapidly expanded beyond Israel’s borders, with exchanges of fire involving Iran-backed forces across several fronts in the Middle East.
The escalating violence has triggered a large-scale humanitarian crisis inside Lebanon. Hundreds of thousands of residents have fled their homes in southern regions and other targeted areas, many seeking refuge in schools, public buildings or temporary shelters in safer parts of the country.
The situation has also drawn increasing concern from international human rights organizations. On Monday, Human Rights Watch released a report alleging that Israeli forces used white phosphorus munitions in a strike on a residential area in southern Lebanon.
According to the organization, investigators analyzed and verified seven separate images from the aftermath of an attack in the village of Yohmor. Using geolocation techniques and visual verification, researchers concluded that Israeli artillery shells containing white phosphorus were fired into residential zones within the village.
Human Rights Watch said the attack occurred only hours after Israeli authorities issued evacuation warnings to residents of Yohmor and numerous other villages near the border, urging civilians to leave the area before military operations intensified.
The organization said it could not independently confirm whether any civilians remained in the village at the time of the attack or whether anyone was injured as a result of the strike.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the allegations. In previous statements regarding similar accusations, Israeli officials have said white phosphorus is used primarily to create smoke screens or illumination during military operations and is not intended to target civilians directly.
White phosphorus is a chemical substance that ignites when exposed to oxygen and burns at extremely high temperatures. The material can produce thick smoke used for battlefield concealment, but when deployed in populated areas it can cause severe fires and devastating injuries.
Human rights advocates say the use of white phosphorus in civilian areas can violate international humanitarian law because of the indiscriminate nature of its effects.
The burning chemical can ignite buildings and vegetation and can cause deep burns that penetrate skin and tissue. Medical experts say even relatively small burns caused by the substance can lead to life-threatening complications, including infections, organ damage and respiratory failure.
Ramzi Kaiss, a Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, warned that such weapons pose serious risks when used near populated areas.
“The Israeli military’s unlawful use of white phosphorus over residential areas is extremely alarming and will have dire consequences for civilians,” Kaiss said in a statement accompanying the report.
Human rights organizations have raised similar concerns during previous conflicts in the region. Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International reported that white phosphorus munitions were used during Israel’s last major confrontation with Hezbollah more than a year ago.
In that earlier conflict, the groups said the chemical munition was deployed multiple times in southern Lebanese areas where civilians were still present.
The renewed fighting has heightened political tensions inside Lebanon as well. Some Lebanese leaders have increasingly criticized Hezbollah’s role in the confrontation with Israel, arguing that the group’s actions risk dragging the country deeper into a destructive regional war.
At the same time, Hezbollah maintains significant influence in Lebanese politics and security affairs, making it difficult for the government to distance itself from the group’s military activities.
With Israeli airstrikes continuing across parts of Lebanon and ground operations intensifying along the southern frontier, the country now faces both a deepening humanitarian emergency and a growing political crisis.
For many Lebanese citizens, the parliamentary decision to delay elections underscores the uncertain future facing the nation as it navigates the pressures of war, displacement and mounting regional instability.