On Friday, Israel ordered the evacuation of the northern border town of Kiryat Shmona, inhabited by about 25,000 people, after repeated confrontations with Hezbollah fighters on the border with Lebanon.
Announcement
Six Hezbollah members were killed in southern Lebanon and two Thai workers were injured on the Israeli side with renewed confrontations on Saturday between the party and the Israeli army along the border, amid fears of opening a new front while the war between Hamas and the Hebrew state continues.
Iran-backed Hezbollah announced in separate statements that six of its members were killed in southern Lebanon while “performing jihadist duty.”
For its part, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement announced the killing of one of its members in southern Lebanon “while performing his jihadist duty in support of Gaza.”
In northern Israel, paramedics announced that two Thai citizens who work in agriculture were injured on Saturday, due to bombing near the Margaliot area on the border with Lebanon.
Paramedics said that one of them was injured in the chest and the other was injured in one of his limbs. About 30,000 Thai workers work in Israel, many of them in the agricultural sector.
On Friday, Israel ordered the evacuation of the northern border town of Kiryat Shmona, inhabited by about 25,000 people, after repeated confrontations with Hezbollah fighters on the border with Lebanon.
Since the outbreak of fighting along the border, at least four people have been killed in Israel, three soldiers and one civilian, according to Israeli sources.
In Lebanon, the escalation has so far resulted in the killing of 29 people, the majority of whom are Hezbollah fighters, in addition to five fighters from Palestinian factions and four civilians, including a photographer for the Reuters news agency.
In Beirut, Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, said on Saturday, “We are concerned and we are part of this battle. Let it be clear, whenever events follow and something arises that calls for our greater intervention, we will do so.”
He added, “It is a stage that we believe is compatible with confrontation, and if matters require more than that, we will be present in the field with the resistance as an integral part of the confrontation project so that Israel does not win.”
On Saturday evening, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported Israeli airstrikes along the border, including near Alma al-Shaab, Yarin, Dhahira, and the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab.
Saturday’s clashes coincided with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant inspecting the northern border, where he called on soldiers to remain “vigilant.”
“Hezbollah has decided to participate in the fighting, and it is paying the price for that. We must be vigilant and prepare for every possible scenario,” Gallant said, adding, “Great challenges await us.”
Hezbollah and Israel fought a devastating war in the summer of 2006, which left more than 1,200 dead on the Lebanese side, most of them civilians, and 160 dead on the Israeli side, most of them military. The war, which lasted 34 days, caused the displacement of about one million Lebanese from their towns.
Additional sources • AFP
2023-10-21 20:53:39
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