Battles continue on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
Rapidly escalating violence in recent days saw intense Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds across Lebanon as ground troops conducted raids near the border
Published: 06:10 PM,Oct 05,2024 | EDITED : 10:10 PM,Oct 05,2024
Tents are set up to be used as temporary shelters by people who fled Israeli bombardment, in Beirut. — AFP
BEIRUT: Lebanese Hezbollah said on Saturday its fighters were confronting Israeli troops in the country's southern border region, where the Israeli military said it struck militants from the movement. Rapidly escalating violence in recent days saw intense Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds across Lebanon as ground troops conducted raids near the border, transforming nearly a year of cross-border exchanges into full-blown war.
In the first reported Israeli air strike on the northern Tripoli region in the current flare-up, Palestinian group Hamas said 'Zionist bombardment' of the Beddawi refugee camp killed a commander, Saeed Attallah Ali, as well as his wife and two daughters on Saturday. The escalation, which included Iran's second-ever missile attack on Israel, intensifying Hezbollah rocket fire and strikes claimed from as far away as Yemen, comes just days before the first anniversary of the October 7 attack. An Israeli military official said that the army was 'preparing a response' to Iran's 'unlawful' attack, without elaborating.
In downtown Beirut, Ibrahim Nazzal, who is among hundreds of thousands displaced by the violence, said: 'We want the war to stop... all our homes are gone.' Israel's military launched an intensified wave of strikes around Lebanon, killing more than 1,110 people since September 23. On the ground, Hezbollah said its fighters were engaged in clashes with Israeli troops in the border area, later claiming a rocket attack at northern Israel's Ramat David air base, some 45 kilometres from the frontier. The Israeli military said its forces had killed 250 Hezbollah fighters in the border area this week.
Israel's recent attacks on Lebanon have killed an Iranian general, a host of Hezbollah commanders and, in the biggest blow to the group in decades, its leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, delivering a rare public address on Friday, said that 'the resistance in the region will not back down with these martyrdoms.'
Lebanon said an Israeli strike on Friday cut off the main international road to Syria, which was used by many seeking refuge across the border. Israel said it aimed to prevent the flow of weapons. The United Nations said its peacekeepers 'remain in all positions' in south Lebanon despite an Israeli request on Monday to 'relocate' as the military's ground incursions began. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon also urged commitment 'in actions, not just words' to Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah and stipulated that only the Lebanese army and peacekeepers should be deployed in south Lebanon. — AFP
In the first reported Israeli air strike on the northern Tripoli region in the current flare-up, Palestinian group Hamas said 'Zionist bombardment' of the Beddawi refugee camp killed a commander, Saeed Attallah Ali, as well as his wife and two daughters on Saturday. The escalation, which included Iran's second-ever missile attack on Israel, intensifying Hezbollah rocket fire and strikes claimed from as far away as Yemen, comes just days before the first anniversary of the October 7 attack. An Israeli military official said that the army was 'preparing a response' to Iran's 'unlawful' attack, without elaborating.
In downtown Beirut, Ibrahim Nazzal, who is among hundreds of thousands displaced by the violence, said: 'We want the war to stop... all our homes are gone.' Israel's military launched an intensified wave of strikes around Lebanon, killing more than 1,110 people since September 23. On the ground, Hezbollah said its fighters were engaged in clashes with Israeli troops in the border area, later claiming a rocket attack at northern Israel's Ramat David air base, some 45 kilometres from the frontier. The Israeli military said its forces had killed 250 Hezbollah fighters in the border area this week.
Israel's recent attacks on Lebanon have killed an Iranian general, a host of Hezbollah commanders and, in the biggest blow to the group in decades, its leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, delivering a rare public address on Friday, said that 'the resistance in the region will not back down with these martyrdoms.'
Lebanon said an Israeli strike on Friday cut off the main international road to Syria, which was used by many seeking refuge across the border. Israel said it aimed to prevent the flow of weapons. The United Nations said its peacekeepers 'remain in all positions' in south Lebanon despite an Israeli request on Monday to 'relocate' as the military's ground incursions began. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon also urged commitment 'in actions, not just words' to Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah and stipulated that only the Lebanese army and peacekeepers should be deployed in south Lebanon. — AFP