[1/5]Smoke rises from the village of Halta, seen from the village of Ibl al-Saqi in southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, October 8, 2023. Portal/Aziz Taher NEW FILE – HIGH QUALITY REPEAT LICENSE RIGHTS
Oct 8 (Portal) – Israel fired artillery fire into southern Lebanon on Sunday after Hezbollah attacked three Israeli military positions in the disputed Shebaa Farms.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
On Saturday, at least 250 Israelis were killed in the worst attack by Palestinian gunmen on Israeli cities in years, and another 230 Gaza residents died in Israeli retaliatory bombing.
Hezbollah, a powerful armed party backed by Iran, said it fired guided missiles and artillery at three posts in Shebaa Farms “in solidarity” with the Palestinian people.
The Israeli military said on Sunday it fired artillery into an area in Lebanon where cross-border mortar fire was fired. “IDF (Israel Defense Forces) artillery is currently attacking the area in Lebanon from which a shooting took place,” it said.
The Israeli military said its drones attacked a Hezbollah post in the Har Dov area, an area in Shebaa.
“At this point there is no further threat in Har Dov or the northern arena,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised address, adding that the military remained on high alert.
Israel has owned the Shebaa Farms, a 39 square kilometer piece of land, since 1967. Both Syria and Lebanon claim the Shebaa Farms are Lebanese.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said it had detected “several rockets fired from southeast Lebanon toward Israeli-occupied areas” and artillery fire from Israel into Lebanon in response.
“We are in contact at all levels with the authorities on both sides of the Blue Line to contain the situation and prevent a more serious escalation,” said spokesman Andrea Tenenti.
The Blue Line is the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel and marks the retreat of Israeli forces when they left southern Lebanon in 2000.
On Saturday, UNIFIL said it had increased its presence in southern Lebanon following developments in Israel and Gaza, including its anti-missile launch operations.
UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka said on the platform
Hezbollah, which effectively controls southern Lebanon, said on Saturday it was in “direct contact” with leaders of Palestinian “resistance groups” and viewed the Palestinian attacks on Israel as a “decisive response to Israel’s ongoing occupation and as a message to those who want to do so.” Strive for normalization.” with Israel.”
Reporting from the Beirut newsroom and Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem; Edited by William Mallard and Barbara Lewis
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