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Israel cuts off main Lebanon-Syria road
On Friday, an Israel air strike hit Lebanon’s Masnaa border crossing with Syria, cutting off a road that was being used by hundreds of thousands of people to flee Israeli bombardments in recent days.
Most weapon smuggling does not take place through the crossing Israel struck, Lebanese minister says
Lebanon’s Minister of Economy and Trade said most weapon smuggling does not take place through the Masnaa border crossing with Syria, which Israel struck on Thursday.
The Israel Defense Forces said it hit an “underground tunnel crossing” at that location to prevent weapons from being smuggled into Lebanon. Amin Salam told CNN’s Isa Soares on Friday that Lebanon intends to inspect the site after the rubble is cleared but that most smuggling takes place through illegal channels rather than the official entry point at Masnaa.
“Smuggling weapons into Lebanon or smuggling anything inside or outside Lebanon mostly is not done through this channel. Mostly it is done through illegal channels, illegal roads, in Lebanon that are not like this one,” he said.
The Masnaa border crossing lies in the Bekaa Valley on the Beirut-Damascus international highway, a major transport link for people and goods between Lebanon and Syria. Tens of thousands of people have used the highway to flee Israeli bombardment in recent days.
Salam said that taking out the crossing — the only land border entry point into Syria — has left Lebanon more isolated. It will make moving goods and people between the two countries more difficult, he said.
“It only adds another layer of desperation for people that are moving or running away, seeking shelter from Lebanon to Syria,” Salam said.
Lebanon shelters filling up as Israeli bombing displaces more people
The UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reports that a second consecutive week of intense Israeli air strikes across Lebanon has driven more people from their homes, with attacks affecting central Beirut and Palestinian refugee camps.
As of Thursday afternoon, a total of 4,250 internally displaced people were registered in UNRWA shelters, marking an 82 percent increase from the 2,332 registered at the end of September.
The number is expected to rise, the agency said, adding that it has opened 12 emergency shelters across the country.
“At the start of October, UNRWA temporarily suspended most of its operations in the Tyre area, primarily because of the displacement of UNRWA staff due to the security situation.”
Palestine and Lebanon ‘places without civilians’ for Israel: UN rapporteur
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, says Palestine and Lebanon have effectively become places where there are no civilians in the eyes of the Israeli military.
“All terrorists, deserving to die. Men, women, kids,” she wrote in a post on X. “This monstrosity must end.”
An investigation by Palestinian sources has uncovered evidence, including videos, where Israeli commanders and soldiers explain how they shoot at unarmed civilians in war zones.
