BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, Oct 28 (Reuters) – The Israeli military said on Saturday it had stopped a surface-to-air missile fired from Lebanon at one of its drones and Lebanese authorities issued precautionary guidance in case it had to evacuate the Israeli airport. Beirut, as border tensions rise.
The Israeli military and the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah have exchanged fire daily since the start of the Gaza conflict three weeks ago.
This is the largest confrontation on the border between Lebanon and Israel since the war that both sides fought in 2006.
In the 2006 conflict, the runways at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport, on the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital, were hit by Israeli airstrikes, along with other Lebanese infrastructure. The airport closed then.
With tension rising again, Lebanese authorities issued precautionary guidelines to evacuate the airport and surrounding facilities in case of emergency. But the guide did not indicate that there was an imminent threat to the site.
The conflict in Gaza, where Israel has intensified its ground offensive, has raised fears that fighting will spread to the entire region, including the Lebanese border.
The Israeli military declared on Saturday that it had “thwarted a surface-to-air missile fired from Lebanon” at an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle. The Army responded by “attacking the origin of the missile fire.”
It also claimed that one of its drones had hit a “terrorist cell” in Lebanon that had attempted to launch an anti-tank missile at Israel.
Lebanese Al-Manar television, run by Hezbollah, said Israel had bombed several areas along the western border region, including around the Lebanese coastal town of Naqoura and an area around Dhayra.
Hezbollah claimed that as of Friday, 47 of its fighters had been killed in clashes along the border.
The Israeli military declared earlier this week that seven of its soldiers had been killed since October 7, when the Palestinian group Hamas – an ally of Hezbollah – launched a deadly attack on Israeli soil and Israel responded with heavy attacks on Gaza.
According to consulted sources, Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel were intended to keep the Israeli Army busy without provoking a major war. Israel has stated that it has no interest in fighting a war and that if Hezbollah is stopped it will maintain the status quo. (Reported by Beirut and Jerusalem newsrooms; Written by Riham Alkousaa; Edited in Spanish by Ricardo Figueroa)
Source: Ambito
