The Israeli military says it has attacked Hezbollah camps in Lebanon, and the insurgents say they fired rockets at three Israeli outposts.
Israel engaged in a gunfight with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Sunday, a day after an unprecedented surprise attack by Hamas on southern Israel that killed at least 250 Israelis, raising the possibility of a broader regional conflict. ing.
More than 300 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli shelling of the besieged Gaza Strip, following a major Hamas attack that took Israel by surprise. The Palestinian enclave has been under de facto land, sea and air blockade by Israel since 2007.
Hamas and other Palestinian groups have called for an end to the blockade and have organized protests near the fence separating the territory from Israel.
The powerful Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah said it had fired guided rockets and artillery at three sites in the Shebaa farms in “solidarity” with the Palestinian people. The Shebaa Farms, claimed by Lebanon, were captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War.
“On the way to liberating the remaining parts of the occupied Lebanese lands, in solidarity with the victorious Palestinian Resistance Movement and the steadfast Palestinian people, the group of the Martyr Commander of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hajj Imad Moghnieh, this Sunday , on October 8, carried out an attack targeting three Zionist-occupied territories in the Shebaa Farms region of occupied Lebanon in 2023,” Hezbollah said in a statement.
The Israeli military said Sunday that it had shelled Lebanese areas where cross-border mortar fire had taken place. The Israeli military said a drone struck a Hezbollah camp in the Har Dov area of Shebaa Farms.
Israel said its forces were “currently attacking areas of Lebanon with artillery fire where shots were fired into Israeli territory a few minutes ago.” The Israeli military said it was “prepared for all scenarios and will continue to protect the safety of the Israeli population.”
Tel Aviv has owned Shebaa Farm, a 39 square kilometer (15 square mile) piece of land, since 1967. Both Syria and Lebanon claim that the Shebaa farms belong to Lebanon.
There was no comment from Lebanese authorities regarding the incident.
The UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
It announced on Saturday that it had increased its presence in southern Lebanon following developments in Israel and Gaza.
Hezbollah, which controls southern Lebanon, said on Saturday it was in “direct contact” with the leaders of the Palestinian “resistance” group. The group said it views Palestinian attacks on Israel as “a decisive response to the continued Israeli occupation and a message to those seeking normalization with Israel.”
