[🇱🇧] Lebanon - Israel Conflict -2024

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-iran-missile-attack-middle-east-10-02-24-intl-hnk/index.html

Lebanon's military says Israel crossed 400 meters into territory before withdrawing​

From CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi and Mostafa Salem

IDF handout photo geolocated to be in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s military said Wednesday an Israeli military force breached the border, reaching 400 meters (about a quarter of a mile) into Lebanese territory before withdrawing.

“An Israeli enemy force breached the Blue Line by approximately 400 meters into Lebanese territory in the areas of Khirbet Yaroun and the Aadeyseh, then withdrew after a short period,” the army said.

The Blue Line is a reference to the demarcation border area that separates Israel and Lebanon.

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.

The IDF also released a photo of its troops inside Lebanon that CNN has geolocated to be inside southern Lebanon.

 

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Hezbollah says it's attacking Israeli troops along the border​

As we've been reporting, as well as the rockets being fired into northern Israel and continued air strikes in southern Lebanon, there's also on-the-ground fighting along the border in Lebanon.

Israel expanded its ground invasion earlier this week, attacking in western as well as eastern areas.

Hezbollah says it fired a missile at Israeli troops trying to push into the Labbouneh area, in the west.

And much further east, it says it also fired a rocket barrage at Israeli soldiers heading towards the twin border villages of Mays al-Jabal and Mouhaybib.

 

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What's the latest?​

Getty Images

An ambulance lies destroyed in the rubble of an air strike in Kafra, Lebanon

• Hezbollah rocket attack: Two Israelis were killed during a rocket attack on the border town of Kiryat Shmona - Hezbollah said it fired rockets at the area
• On-the-ground: Fighting has been reported by Israel and Hezbollah along the border. Hezbollah says it pushed back the IDF in western Lebanon
• Air strikes: The IDF said this morning it's hit 185 Hezbollah sites in the last 24 hours. Explosions have been seen near Tyre and in the Khiam area
• Displaced people: The UN says a quarter of Lebanese territory is under evacuation order, with displaced people living on the streets and beaches of Beirut
• Biden-Netanyahu phone call: US President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to speak to later today.

 

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Hezbollah says it fired 'rocket salvo' at border town​

Reuters
A photo sent to us in the last hour shows smoke rising above Kiryat Shmona
We just reported that two people have been killed in Kiryat Shmona, a border town in the north-east of Israel.

Hezbollah has released a statement confirming they targeted "a gathering of Israeli enemy forces" in the same area with "a rocket salvo" at 14:00 local time (12:00 BST).

 

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More rockets fired at Haifa, says Israel​

Image source, MDA
A photo shared by Israel's emergency medical service of the scene after people were hit by shrapnel
Israel says the Haifa area has been hit by rockets again today, marking the third consecutive day of attacks on Israel's third-largest city.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says that about 40 "projectiles" - which usually means rockets - have crossed from Lebanon into Israel, targeting areas around Upper Galilee and Haifa Bay. While some were intercepted, several landed in the region, the IDF says.

According to Israel’s emergency services Magen David Adom (MDA), six people are injured. Five have been injured by shrapnel, including a 16-year-old boy, and a motorcyclist suffered minor injuries in a traffic accident during the alarm.

Haifa has a population of about a quarter of a million. It was hit on Monday for the first time in 18 years, and was hit again yesterday.

 

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Israel can weaken Hezbollah - but its ideology will persist​

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Beirut

Reute

Benjamin Netanyahu, pictured last month

Last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video with a message to the Lebanese people: "Free your country from Hezbollah," he said.

But here, his words are unlikely to have any resonance.

There is a long history of Israeli violence in Lebanon, and resentment and suspicion run deep. And, no matter the scale of the damage that Israel manages to inflict on Hezbollah, the group will not be entirely destroyed.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah is more than a militia, it is a political party with representation in parliament, and a social movement with significant support.

Israel may be able to weaken the group, but its ideology will persist – as it did after the wars of the past.

Now, because this is a country full of divisions, Hezbollah opponents will not be disappointed to see a degraded Hezbollah.

This is a group often described as a state with a state, powerful and influential. Critics say it is acts to defend its own interests – and those of Iran, its main supporter.

Long term, there is the real risk that Hezbollah supporters, feeling humiliated, may become more radicalised and isolated. This could exacerbate tensions in this country, which endured a civil war between 1975-1990.

This is something that people are starting to talk about - the future of this country and what may happen after the war is over.