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The northern front is shining Israel on the border of Lebanon dominated by Hezbollah: The pro-Iranian armed party has committed the Israeli army There was a shootout at the border, which was preceded and followed by artillery attacks on uninhabited areas in southern Lebanon. The pro-Iranian Shiite militiamen, who admitted losing four militiamen, then launched a raid on two Israeli barracks.
Tensions along the northern border began after the Israeli army reported that some suspected militiamen had entered from Lebanon. “The soldiers,” the spokesman said, “are stationed in the area” near Ayta Shaab, near the Israeli settlements of Shtula and Zarit. Residents in many towns were told to stay indoors. A firefight ensued that ended with the killing of all militiamen, the forces reported, who also began attacking enemy positions in Lebanese territory.
Initially, Hezbollah, which claimed responsibility for firing rockets at three military positions along the Blue Line on Sunday, systematically denied having been involved in the military operation along the Blue Line. During this ground attack, Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian fundamentalist group claimed as its own, was active in Gaza alongside Hamas. In the evening, however, Hezbollah changed its tone and announced: “Islamic resistance groups have attacked two Israeli barracks with guided missiles and mortar shells that hit them directly.” An attack that came as an “initial response” to the killing of its four militiamen.
The escalation is being watched with concern in Beirut, where Prime Minister Najib Miqati, at the head of a government that includes Hezbollah ministers, announced the first official Lebanese response to events between Gaza and Israel, claiming that it was “the inevitable result of the conflict”. The actions of the Israeli enemy against the Palestinians and their legitimate claims.”
A few hours earlier, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib had been assured by Party of God leaders that there would be no attack on Israel unless there was an attack on Lebanon. But within a few hours the situation worsened. Iran’s shadow continues to hang over the war between Israel and Hamas, in which Hezbollah is also involved. Tehran, which earlier in the day denied any direct involvement in the Hamas offensive, is instead once again claiming a role of political support for the deployment of Palestinian forces from the Gaza Strip, US press sources reported.