Two Israeli soldiers killed near Lebanon border, army says
The Israeli army says in a statement that two of its soldiers have been killed near the border with Lebanon. According to Israel’s N12 News, one of them was killed by a drone and the other by an antitank missile fired by Hezbollah across the border.
In a statement, the army says reservist Major Nael Fwarsy, 43, and Sergeant Tomer Keren, 20, “fell in combat” in separate incidents.
Israeli army claims destruction of dozens of Hezbollah rocket launchers
The Israeli army says it has hit Hezbollah rocket launchers along with other “infrastructure” in air strikes carried out in Lebanon. With the direction of military intelligence, the air force destroyed about “150 launcher barrels that were ready to fire projectiles toward Israeli territory”, it said in a statement.
The attacks came as Israeli leaders warned they could launch a major military operation against Hezbollah, saying they are determined to stop the group’s fire to allow tens of thousands of Israelis to return to homes near the border with Lebanon.
Several wounded in Israeli raid on southern Lebanon
The Lebanese Health Ministry says four people have been injured in an Israeli raid on the town of al-Haniyeh. Earlier, the Israeli military said it had launched attacks on southern Lebanon, saying it struck dozens of missile launchers and other Hezbollah infrastructure. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.
The attacks in Lebanon have raised concerns about the widening of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of people, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations that the International Court of Justice is hearing and that Israel denies.
Israeli forces strike several areas in Lebanon: Report
Israeli jets have targeted the towns of Mahmoudieh, Ksar al-Aroush and Birket Jabbour in the Jezzine area, Lebanon’s National News Agency reports.
Israel carried out dozens of air strikes across southern Lebanon, unnamed Lebanese security sources told Reuters, saying it was some of the most intense bombing since the start of the Gaza war in October.
Earlier, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Hezbollah “will pay an increasing price” as Israel seeks to return residents to its northern areas who have fled due to the near-daily exchanges of fire over the border with Lebanon.
Fears of more white phosphorus bombs as Israel targets Lebanon
As Al Jazeera reported in March, Israel continues to use white phosphorus munitions in southern Lebanon causing lasting damage and driving villagers away as Israeli officials threaten a war across their northern border.
“Most of these weapons are used on countries of the Global South.”
AJ+ spoke to Abbas Baalbaki, a Lebanese environmental researcher who has been testing samples of the white phosphorus Israel has dropped on Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/JXA0WhwlyD
— AJ+ (@ajplus) August 13, 2024
Israeli jets strike Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon
Israeli fighter jets continue to pound Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon over the past few hours, striking “hundreds” of rocket launchers pointed towards Israeli territory, the military said.
Since the afternoon, warplanes struck some 100 rocket launchers consisting of about 1,000 barrels, it said. The military “will continue to operate to degrade the Hezbollah terrorist organisation’s infrastructure and capabilities in order to defend the state of Israel”.
Israel urges northern residents to remain in shelters; ‘guard’ entrances
The Israeli military asked residents of towns near the border with Lebanon to remain close to shelters as it continues to pound Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon over the past few hours.
The army warned residents to “avoid gatherings”, to limit movement in settlements, and to “guard” their entrances.
And the US will tell everyone to avoid escalation while letting Israel blow up the region with ironclad US support.
