The US State Department said on Saturday that Secretary Anthony Blinken informed Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati of the need to respect the interests of his people, who will be affected if the country is drawn into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Ministry spokesman Matthew Miller Bayan said that Blinken assured Mikati in a call of the United States’ support for the Lebanese people, and noted the growing concern about the escalating tensions on Lebanon’s southern border.
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 Israel continues.
Hezbollah announced in separate statements that six of its members were killed in southern Lebanon.
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.
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.
On Saturday evening, the Lebanese National News Agency reported Israeli air strikes 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.”
Gallant pointed out, “Hezbollah decided to participate in the fighting, and it is paying the price for that. We must be vigilant and prepare for every possible scenario,” adding, “Great challenges await us.”
Hezbollah and Israel fought a devastating war in the summer of 2006, leaving 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 a million Lebanese from their towns.
2023-10-22 01:42:40
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