EXCLUSIVE | Israeli incursion into Nabi Chit collapses as resistance fighters and residents confront Israeli forces

On 6 March, Israeli occupation forces launched a nighttime incursion into the town of Nabi Chit in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, landing by helicopter under the cover of darkness and advancing toward a local cemetery in an attempt to dig up a grave alleged to contain the remains of a long-missing Israeli pilot from the 1980s war on Lebanon. The Lebanese Army detected the hostile helicopters over the Baalbek area and fired flares to expose the landing zone, placing units on alert as the infiltration unfolded.

The operation quickly unraveled after resistance fighters and armed residents discovered the infiltration and confronted the Israeli force near the cemetery. Clashes erupted inside the town, forcing the Israeli unit to request massive aerial cover as warplanes and helicopters unleashed dozens of strikes across Nabi Chit and nearby villages to secure the commandos’ withdrawal.

The raid ended in devastation for the town, with more than forty Lebanese killed, including children, and widespread destruction left in the wake of the bombardment. The failed mission underscored Israel’s willingness to devastate Lebanese communities while the confrontation also highlighted the entrenched culture of resistance in the Bekaa Valley, where residents and fighters alike mobilized to repel the incursion.