UNIFIL express concern over escalation between Israel and Hezbollah
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, a peacekeeping force meant to monitor and verify the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese territory, has issued a statement via its Telegram channel, raising alarm at the “surge of violence occurring across the Blue Line right now”.
The Blue Line, which demarcates Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights, was issued in 2000 by the UN to determine if Israeli troops had fully withdrawn from Lebanon. “This escalation has caused a high number of civilian deaths and the destruction of homes and livelihoods,” the statement said.
Yesterday, several Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory killed at least 16 people, making it the deadliest day for the country since Hezbollah and the Israeli army began exchanging fire on October 8. A following attack by Hezbollah, which saw a barrage of rockets fired at the Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona, killed one Israeli.
“It is imperative that this escalation cease immediately. We urge all sides to put down their weapons and begin the process toward a sustainable political and diplomatic solution”, UNIFIL continued.
Mediation is currently under way to find a solution to Hezbollah and Israel’s conflict, spearheaded by the French. The Israeli side has expressed pessimism at the prospect of reaching a negotiated settlement and regularly threatens full-scale war on Lebanon, while Hezbollah insists that it will continue its attacks until Israel ends its war on Gaza.
Hezbollah claims attack on Israeli positions in Kfarchouba
The armed Lebanese group says it used rockets and missiles to target an Israeli position in the Kfarchouba hills in southern Lebanon. Taking place a few hours ago, this was Hezbollah’s fourth attack today.
The group had earlier claimed another attack on Kfarchouba, an artillery shelling of a newly established Israeli military headquarters in an unspecified position and a rocket attack on two Israeli settlements near the country’s border with Lebanon.
Suspected Israeli air raid hits Syria’s Damascus
A suspected Israeli air raid has targeted a building in Syria’s Damascus, according to multiple reports. Images circulating online from the purported site of the strike show a building almost completely destroyed, with several vehicles also heavily damaged or under rubble.
The Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen network in neighbouring Lebanon reported that the attack hit an empty building near the Sayyida Zeinab neighbourhood south of the Syrian capital, where Iranian influence is strong.
Two wounded in Israeli air raid in Syria’s capital
Two people have been injured and there’s been “material damage” after the latest air raid by the Israeli military on Damascus, according to Syrian state media. The state-run SANA news agency reports, citing an unnamed military source, the Israeli air force targeted a residential building. It did not provide further details.
The Israeli military rarely comments on its repeated attacks on Syria, which have significantly increased since the start of its war on Gaza.
