BEIRUT: Missile warning sirens sounded in the Israeli settlements of Kiryat Shmona and Margaliot on Wednesday afternoon, ending an 18-hour period of cautious calm on the border with Lebanon.
Israeli media reported that about 20 missiles fired from Lebanon toward the Galilee region fell near Kiryat Shmona.
Hezbollah said that it struck the Israeli Defense Forces’ Ramim barracks with missiles, achieving “direct hits,” and also targeted Israeli military sites in Ruwaizat Al-Alam in the Kafr Shuba hills.
Israel’s Channel 14 television channel reported that drones crossed into the Zar’it area on the border with Lebanon.
Israeli forces directed artillery fire at areas between Khiam, Ebl Al-Saqi, and the outskirts of the towns of Hula, Rab El Thalathine, Markaba, Burj Al-Muluk, and Labouneh, south of Naqoura.
An explosion from an Israeli Iron Dome interceptor missile echoed in the skies above the Khiam Plain.
Confrontations were confined to the area south of the Litani River.
Suggestions that the lull in clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli army was linked to meetings between UNIFIL’s mission head Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro Saenz and Lebanese political leaders on Tuesday were rejected by one source, who told Arab News: “This matter has nothing to do with what is happening on the ground. The southern front moves in line with field developments in the Gaza Strip.”
Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem said in a statement that “if Israel decides to go to war, we will confront it with all the power we have to defeat it.”
He added: “We are confident that we will win every war we could enter against the Israeli entity. When Israel wages a war against us, we have no choice but to defend.”
Qassem linked the possibility of war in Lebanon “to the developments taking place in Gaza and Israel’s decision to initiate the war.”
Referring to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Qassem said: “The goal is resistance action in order to address many issues of concern to the Palestinians and release the prisoners. It is not right to focus on details that occurred to justify massacres. Our perspective is that matters should return to the origin. The Israeli occupying entity is the cause of Oct. 7.”
Regarding Israel’s right to safety, Qassem said: “They must end the occupation to restore stability to Palestine and the region. We must address the problem of the occupation, not the problem of resistance against the occupation.”
He added that if Israel “stands on its feet today,” it is only because of US support, including the opening of air routes for ammunition and weapons.
“Without this, Israel might have fallen within days,” he said.
“Israel continues to breathe through artificial respiration, and we don’t know when it will stop.”
Missile strikes end lull on Lebanon border
https://arab.news/vg4yp
Missile strikes end lull on Lebanon border
- Israeli media reported that about 20 missiles fired from Lebanon toward the Galilee region fell near Kiryat Shmona
- Hezbollah said that it struck the Israeli Defense Forces’ Ramim barracks with missiles, achieving “direct hits”
Gaza death toll surges to 71,548 as Israeli aggression continues
- The administration of President Donald Trump earlier in the week said the US-drafted ceasefire plan for Gaza was now moving into its challenging second phase, which includes the new Palestinian committee in Gaza
GAZA: The death toll from Israeli attacks has risen to 71,548 Palestinians, with 171,353 reported wounded, since the beginning of the offensive on Oct. 7, 2023, according to medical sources.
One new fatality was reported at a Gaza hospital in the past 24 hours, along with six new injuries, sources said.
Several victims remain trapped under rubble or lying in the streets, with ambulance and civil defense crews unable to reach them due to the widespread destruction and lack of supplies.
Since the ceasefire came into effect on Oct. 11, the number of fatalities has increased to 464 along with 1,275 injuries, while 712 bodies have been recovered from beneath the rubble.
Earlier on Saturday, a 27-day-old baby died because of severe cold, bringing the number of child deaths caused by extreme winter conditions since the start of the season to eight.
The administration of President Donald Trump earlier in the week said the US-drafted ceasefire plan for Gaza was now moving into its challenging second phase, which includes the new Palestinian committee in Gaza, deployment of an international security force, disarmament of Hamas, and reconstruction of the war-battered territory.
But Israel’s government is objecting to the White House announcement of leaders who will play a role in overseeing the next steps in Gaza.
Israel says the Gaza executive committee “was not coordinated with Israel and is contrary to its policy,” without details.
Saturday’s statement also said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the Foreign Ministry to contact Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The White House-announced committee announced on Friday includes no Israeli official but does include an Israeli businessman.
Other members announced so far include two of US President Donald Trump’s closest confidants, a former British prime minister, an American general, and a collection of top officials from Middle Eastern governments.
The White House has said the executive committee will carry out the vision of a Trump-led “Board of Peace,” whose members have not yet been named.
The White House also announced the members of a new Palestinian committee to run Gaza’s day-to-day affairs, with oversight from the executive committee.
The committee’s members include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and Trump’s deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel.
