Israel carried out a series of massive attacks during the night in which it reached southern suburbs of Beirut and cut off the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, where tens of thousands of people flee of the Israeli bombings.
The explosions that shook the southern suburbs of Beirut caused huge clouds of smoke and flames into the night sky and shook buildings miles away in the Lebanese capital. The Israeli army did not immediately reveal the objective of the operation and there was no information on casualties at the moment. The National News Agency Lebanese state reported that in the area more than 10 attacks were recordedconsecutive air flights.
The Israeli army affirmed on Friday that an attack carried out the day before in the Lebanese capital killed Mohammed Rashid Skafi, head of the communications division of the political-paramilitary group Hezbollah. In his statement, he explained that Skafi was “a prominent Hezbollah terrorist who was responsible for the communications unit since 2000,” in addition to being “closely linked” to senior figures in the militia.
The attack on the Lebanese-Syrian border, about 50 kilometers east of Beirut, led to the closure of the road near the busy Masna border crossing.
Israel said it attacked the pass because it was being used by Hezbollah to pass military equipment across the border and indicated that its fighter jets reached a tunnel used to smuggle weapons into the country from Iran and other allies.
Hezbollah is believed to have received much of its weaponry from Iran through Syria. The group is present on both sides of that border and has fought in Syria on the side of President Bashar Assad’s forces.
A video of The Associated Press showed that the attacks caused two huge craters on each side of the road. People carrying bags could be seen crossing on foot after leaving behind some cars that could not move forward due to the road conditions.
Tens of thousands of people fleeing the fighting in Lebanon have fled to Syria in the past two weeks.
The new wave of attacks It came after Israel warned the population to evacuate communities in southern Lebanese territory that are outside the security zone delimited by the United Nations after the month-long war fought in 2006 between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.
Israel launched a ground raid in the neighboring country on Tuesday and its forces have been clashing with insurgents in a narrow strip along the border. A series of attacks leading up to that operation killed some key members of the militia, including its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchiarrived in Beirut on Friday, where he is expected to discuss the war between Israel and Hezbollah with Lebanese authorities.
Araghchi’s visit comes three days after The Islamic Republic launched at least 180 missiles towards Israelin the latest episode of a rapid escalation of attacks between Israel and Tehran and its Arab allies that threatens to engulf Middle East in a regional war.
????????????????ISRAELI STRIKE CUTS OFF ESCAPE ROUTE AT LEBANON-SYRIA BORDER
The airstrike near the Masnaa border crossing in Lebanon created a massive crater, cutting off a key road used by thousands of people fleeing Israeli bombardments.
Israel claims Hezbollah was using the crossing… pic.twitter.com/pNzCjFwsr6
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 4, 2024
Iran is the main Hezbollah benefactor and for years it has provided him with weapons and billions of dollars.
In the Iranian capital, Tehran, the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei He led the Friday prayer and offered a speech in which praised the recent attack with missiles on Iran and said the Islamic Republic is ready to carry out more if necessary.
He spoke to thousands of worshipers gathered at Tehran’s main place of worship, the Mosalla Mosque, which was decorated with a huge Palestinian flag.
Friday’s attack was the first that forced the closure of the important border crossing since the start of the war. Lebanon’s General Security department recorded that 256,614 Syrian citizens and 82,264 Lebanese crossed into Syrian territory between September 23 (when Israel launched an intense bombardment on the south and east of the country) and the 30th.
There is half a dozen border crossings between the two nations and most remain open. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Works said the crossings into Syria operate under state supervision.
Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire on Lebanon’s southern border almost daily since Hamas’ cross-border attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which the insurgents killed about 1,200 people and took 250 more as hostages. hostages.
Attacks in Beirut:
Separately, the Israeli army said that on Thursday it launched a docking on Tulkarem, a insurgent stronghold in the West Bankin coordination with the Shin Bet national security service.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 18 people were killed in an Israeli operation in a refugee camp in the area.
Violence has spiked in Israeli-occupied territory since the start of the war between Israeli forces and Hamas in October 2023. worst episodes of violence They were recorded in Tulkarem and other cities in the northern West Bank.
Israel declared war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip in response to its October 7 attack. More than 41,000 Palestinians have lost their lives in the territory since then, of which just over half were women and minors, according to Gazan health authorities. Almost 2,000 people have died in Lebanon since then, the majority since September 23, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said.
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