Hezbollah shells Israel
An Israeli airstrike targeting a motorcycle in southern Lebanon near a hospital entrance on Monday resulted in the deaths of the motorcycle driver and a hospital security guard, and injured several civilians, according to local health officials.
The strike occurred in the town of Bint Jbeil, though the identity and reason for targeting the motorcycle driver remain unknown.
The Israeli military did not comment specifically on this strike but acknowledged targeting various areas in southern Lebanon in response to “terrorist launches.”
Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been exchanging fire almost daily in the border area since October 8, following the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
Mohammed Suleiman, the director of Salah Ghandour Hospital in Bint Jbeil, reported that initially, one person was killed and nine were injured, most of whom were civilians gathered outside the hospital. Hospital officials later confirmed that a security guard injured in the strike had also died.
The Associated Press reported minor damage to the hospital from the strike.
In retaliation, Hezbollah claimed to have launched numerous missiles at Meron, Safsufa, and Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel.
Since the onset of the Gaza conflict, Israeli strikes in Lebanon have resulted in over 400 deaths, primarily militants from Hezbollah and allied groups, but also more than 70 civilians. Conversely, strikes from Lebanon have killed 15 Israeli soldiers and 10 civilians.
The ongoing clashes have displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border. Israeli officials have suggested the possibility of an offensive in Lebanon if a diplomatic solution does not facilitate the return of the displaced.
The Israeli military reported that its reservists had recently conducted exercises simulating ground operations in Lebanon.
Hezbollah legislator Hassan Fadlallah, visiting the strike site in Bint Jbeil, asserted that Israel’s actions would not secure the return of residents to northern Israel, suggesting that ceasing aggression against Gaza is the only way to stop the current regional conflict.
Western nations, particularly the U.S. and France, have proposed several plans to end hostilities along the Lebanon-Israel border. Hezbollah has declined to agree to any proposal without a ceasefire in Gaza. Initial proposals suggested Hezbollah move its forces away from the border, but this condition was dropped after Hezbollah refused unless Israel also stopped its overflights in Lebanese airspace.
The current proposal focuses on bolstering the presence of the Lebanese army and UNIFIL peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon to maintain peace, with long-term goals of negotiating the land border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is expected to arrive in Beirut on a diplomatic visit on Tuesday.
Source » dailystar
