Beirut:Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire again on the Lebanese-Israeli border on Friday, a day after Israel launched its most intense attacks on southern Lebanon in nearly a year of war, while an impending all-out confrontation between the two has sparked global concern and led to calls for restraint. UN peacekeepers in Lebanon have urged an immediate de-escalation as the situation continues to deteriorate.
The Israeli military said on Thursday it had targeted hundreds of Hezbollah rocket launchers that had been rigged to fire toward Israel, in what security sources in Lebanon said was the most serious such attack since hostilities began last October. It followed an unprecedented attack on the armed Lebanese militant group in which pagers and walkie-talkies used by its members exploded, killing 37 people and wounding thousands.
The UNIFIL peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon said on Friday morning that there had been a “strong escalation of hostilities” on the Lebanese-Israeli border and in its area of operations over the previous 12 hours. “We are concerned by the increasing escalation on the Blue Line and urge all actors to de-escalate immediately,” UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told Reuters, referring to the line marking the border between Lebanon and Israel.
Hezbollah issues a warning and Israel attacks
On Friday, Israeli airstrikes hit at least three villages in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese security sources and Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television. Separately, Hezbollah said its fighters had fired a guided missile at Israeli troops in Metula, an Israeli border town that has been frequently attacked by the Lebanese group over the past year.
Israeli radio reported that the army’s National Defense Command had ordered residents of several towns in northern Israel to stay close to their shelters. The army had earlier lifted orders restricting movement and large gatherings that it had issued on Thursday night for several communities in the north and the Golan Heights.
Thursday’s Israeli strikes on Lebanon came after Hezbollah admitted to having suffered an unprecedented “military and security” blow that “crossed all lines.” “The enemy overcame all controls, laws and morals,” Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said, adding that the attacks “could be considered war crimes or a declaration of war, they could be called anything and they deserve to be called anything. Of course, that was the enemy’s intention.”
Lebanese security sources said four people were wounded in the heavy Israeli bombardment on Thursday. It was not immediately clear whether they were Hezbollah members. The United States on Thursday warned all parties in the Middle East against escalating violence, saying Washington’s priority was to find a diplomatic solution.
Israel: “Hezbollah is paying an ever-increasing price”
Israel will continue its military actions against Lebanese Hezbollah, although the new phase of fighting carries significant risks, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Thursday. “Our goal is to ensure the safe return of northern Israeli communities to their homes. As time goes on, Hezbollah will pay an ever-increasing price,” Gallant said, after two Israeli soldiers were killed in the latest Hezbollah attacks on the border with Lebanon.
On Tuesday, Israel’s Mossad agency is believed to have detonated thousands of pagers, followed by an attack on walkie-talkies that killed more than 30 people, dealing a devastating blow to Hezbollah’s communications systems. The attacks could be the turning point in a wider war between Israel and Hezbollah that will plunge the Middle East into chaos.
The walkie-talkies’ batteries were loaded with a highly explosive compound known as PETN, a Lebanese source familiar with the device’s components told Reuters. The way the explosive material was integrated into the battery made it extremely difficult to detect, the source said.
(with contributions from the agency)
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