Israel Carries out Raids at Targets Deep inside Lebanon

Flares are fired from northern Israel over the southern Lebanese border village of Aita al-Shaab, on October 28,2023. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
Flares are fired from northern Israel over the southern Lebanese border village of Aita al-Shaab, on October 28,2023. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
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Israel Carries out Raids at Targets Deep inside Lebanon

Flares are fired from northern Israel over the southern Lebanese border village of Aita al-Shaab, on October 28,2023. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
Flares are fired from northern Israel over the southern Lebanese border village of Aita al-Shaab, on October 28,2023. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)

The escalation of clashes between Israel and Hezbollah has entered a new stage in south Lebanon after Israel’s announcement on Saturday that it had stopped a surface-to-air missile fired from Lebanon at one of its drones.

Israeli warplanes carried out three raids deep inside Lebanon in the Jabal Safi area, an area situated far from the border, while an Israeli air defense missile exploded over villages in the east of the southern city of Tyre.

Hezbollah has incorporated new air defense systems into its ongoing battle with Israel which is a new development after 20 days of clashes and mutual bombardment.

The Israeli army and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon have exchanged fire on a daily basis since the start of the Gaza conflict three weeks ago.

Israel's military said on Saturday it had "thwarted a surface-to-air missile that was fired from Lebanon" towards an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It said the military had responded by "striking the origin of the missile's fire" killing 47 Hezbollah members.

Hezbollah did not make any statement on the matter.

An Israeli unmanned drone carried out three airstrikes targeting the American Hill area and an open location in the Jabal Safi in Iqlim al-Tuffah region, in parallel with Israeli surveillance drones flying over the region at medium altitude since Saturday morning.

It is the first time that Israel carried out raids in said area. For the last 21 days, Israeli shelling has been confined to a maximum range of seven kilometers inside Lebanon.



Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
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Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza in a meeting with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer in Washington on Monday, the State Department said.

Dermer updated Blinken on operational changes and policy decisions taken by Israel in response to a US letter sent in October, the department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Blinken "emphasized the importance of ensuring those changes lead to an actual improvement in the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, including through the delivery of additional assistance to civilians throughout Gaza," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in the statement.