BEIRUT (Reuters): Hezbollah said on Sunday it had pushed back Israeli forces trying to infiltrate Ramiya village in southern Lebanon, as a third U.N. peacekeeper was wounded in Israel’s escalating conflict with the Iran-backed Lebanese group.
Israeli strikes have shook the peacekeepers’ main base in southern Lebanon, prompting U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Western countries to condemn the attacks. The UNIFIL force called it a “serious development” and said the security of U.N. personnel and property must be guaranteed.
France summoned Israel’s ambassador, and issued a statement with Italy and Spain calling such attacks “unjustifiable”. U.S. President Joe Biden said he was asking Israel not to hit the UNIFIL forces. Russia said it was “outraged” and demanded Israel refrain from “hostile actions” against peacekeepers.
Israeli military strikes on Gaza on Saturday killed at least 29 Palestinians, medics said, and forces kept pushing deeper into the Jabalia area, where international relief agencies say thousands of people are trapped.
Residents in Jabalia, in the north of the enclave and the largest of its historic refugee camps, said it was being pounded by Israeli forces from the air and ground.
The Israel Defense Force (IDF) said Hezbollah had fired nearly 320 projectiles from Lebanon into Israel on Saturday, without giving further details. It declared areas around some towns in north Israel closed to the public.
Evacuation orders were issued to residents of 23 southern Lebanese villages to move north of the Awali River, which flows from the western Bekaa Valley into the Mediterranean.
The military said evacuations were necessary for the safety of residents due to increased Hezbollah activities, claiming the group is using sites to conceal weapons and launch attacks on Israel. Hezbollah denies concealing weapons among civilians.
Israeli military also published new evacuation orders on Saturday for two neighbourhoods on the north edge of Gaza City, saying it was a “dangerous combat zone”. In a statement, Gaza’s Hamas-run interior ministry urged residents not to relocate.
Comments are closed.