JERUSALEM: Israeli forces on Saturday said they had killed several “terrorists” trying to cross from Lebanon amid heightened tensions and after repeated cross-border shelling.
The military “identified a terrorist cell which attempted to infiltrate from Lebanon into Israeli territory,” a military spokesman said, adding that a drone strike “targeted the terrorist cell and killed a number of the terrorists.”
Israel has been at war with the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas, which launched a major attack from Gaza on October 7 in which its gunmen killed at least 1,300 people in the worst ever attack on Israel.
Israel has since launched a major bombing campaign on Hamas targets in the crowded territory of Gaza ahead of a likely ground invasion.
Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement said Friday it was “fully prepared” to join its Palestinian ally Hamas in the war against Israel when the time is right.
Arab countries and the United Nations have urged Hezbollah to stay out of the growing conflict, but the Lebanese-based group’s deputy chief Naim Qassem said the movement would not be swayed.
Amid the mounting tensions, Israel shelled two villages in south Lebanon near the border on Friday, Lebanese security sources said, following a blast on the border fence.
A Reuters journalist was killed and six others, from AFP, Reuters and Al Jazeera, were wounded in southern Lebanon on Friday when they were caught up in cross-border shelling.
On Monday, Hezbollah had said Israeli strikes had killed three of its members, while Palestinian fighters claimed a thwarted infiltration bid.
On Tuesday, Israel said it hit Hezbollah observation posts and a day later, Hezbollah said it targeted an Israeli position near the Lebanese village of Dhayra. Retaliatory Israeli fire wounded three people.
Israel says killed ‘terrorists’ trying to cross from Lebanon
https://arab.news/85fsq
Israel says killed ‘terrorists’ trying to cross from Lebanon
- Israeli military said it “identified a terrorist cell which attempted to infiltrate from Lebanon”
US envoy calls for ceasefire deal in northeastern Syria to be maintained
- Tom Barrack, ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, reiterates Washington’s support for Jan. 18 integration agreement between Syria’s government and Syrian Democratic Forces
LONDON: Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, on Monday reiterated Washington’s desire to ensure the ceasefire agreement in northeastern Syria between Syria’s government and the Syrian Democratic Forces continues.
In a message posted on social media platform X, he wrote: “Productive phone call this evening with his excellency Masoud Barzani to discuss the situation in Syria and the importance of maintaining the ceasefire and ensuring humanitarian assistance to those in need, especially in Kobani.”
Barzani has been the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party since 1979, and served as president of Kurdistan region between 2005 and 2017.
The current present, Nechirvan Barzani, previously welcomed a recent decree by the Syrian president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, officially recognizing the Kurdish population as an integral part of the country.
Barrack reiterated Washington’s support for efforts to advance the Jan. 18 agreement between Syria’s government and the SDF to integrate the latter into state institutions. The SDF is a Kurdish-led faction led by Mazloum Abdi that operates in northeastern Syria and recently clashed with government forces.
On Saturday, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported that the Syrian Ministry of Defense had announced a 15-day extension of the ceasefire deal.
