ISRAEL blocked Lebanon's main border crossing with Syria early on Friday, following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs. The strikes targeted areas linked to Hezbollah, including its senior leadership.
This escalation comes amid growing concerns in Lebanon that the conflict could intensify. Israel is expected to respond to an Iranian missile attack on its territory from earlier in the week. US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that Israel’s response could potentially involve strikes on Iran's oil facilities.
Lebanese transport minister Ali Hamieh told Reuters that Friday’s strike on the Syrian border hit Lebanese territory near the crossing, creating a crater about four metres wide.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said Hezbollah was using the Syria-Lebanon crossing to move military equipment. "The IDF will not allow the smuggling of these weapons and will not hesitate to act if forced to do so, as it has done throughout this war," IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.
According to Lebanese government figures, over 300,000 people, mostly Syrians, have crossed into Syria in the past 10 days to escape the increasing bombardment.
Israel also targeted Dahiye, a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut, near midnight on Thursday. The strikes came after Israel ordered some residents to evacuate the area, according to local sources.
The air raids reportedly targeted Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, who is said to be the likely successor to its assassinated leader Hassan Nasrallah. There were no official confirmations about Safieddine’s condition. Israeli military officials and Hezbollah declined to comment on the matter.
Meanwhile, explosions rocked areas around Beirut's main airport early on Friday. Local civilians expressed fear and uncertainty over the situation. "It’s like you're alive but not alive," said Nouhad Chaib, a man displaced from southern Lebanon.
Israel on Friday also called for residents of over 20 southern towns in Lebanon to evacuate as it continued its operations in the region. Nearly 90 villages in southern Lebanon and parts of southern Beirut have been told to evacuate so far, according to spokesperson Avichay Adraee.
Lebanon's Hezbollah said it had launched attacks on Israeli positions, including a missile strike on Israel’s Ilania base. In a southern suburb of Beirut, three Hezbollah-linked rescue workers were injured by an airstrike, a Lebanese security source told Reuters.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi arrived in Beirut on Friday, where he is expected to meet with Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister and parliament speaker.
Oil target?
While US president Biden said he did not anticipate a full-scale war in the Middle East, he acknowledged that Israel is considering its response options. The discussions include potential strikes on Iran’s oil facilities, which has raised global oil prices.
Biden said, "There is nothing going to happen today," but declined to comment further when asked about possible Israeli strikes on Iran’s oil infrastructure.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Iran will face consequences for its missile attacks earlier this week. The US has also pledged to support Israel in ensuring Iran faces severe repercussions.
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian warned that any attack on Iranian interests would be met with a firm military response.
Nations are preparing contingency plans to evacuate citizens from Lebanon, though no large-scale evacuations have taken place. Some countries are chartering aircraft for potential evacuation, and many are fleeing the country independently.
Israel, which has been engaged in fighting with Hamas in Gaza for nearly a year, deployed ground troops to southern Lebanon on Tuesday following weeks of airstrikes. Israel says the operation is aimed at allowing citizens to return home after Hezbollah attacks in the north forced mass evacuations.
Lebanese authorities estimate that more than 1.2 million people have been displaced by Israeli strikes, with nearly 2,000 killed in the past year, most of them in recent weeks.
Hezbollah claims to have repelled several Israeli ground incursions through ambushes and direct engagements.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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