Bodies of Lebanese Shepherds Shot at by Israeli Forces Found

An Israeli army battle tank moves at a position in the upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on November 1, 2023 amid increasing cross-border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel as fighting continues in the south with Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
An Israeli army battle tank moves at a position in the upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on November 1, 2023 amid increasing cross-border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel as fighting continues in the south with Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
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Bodies of Lebanese Shepherds Shot at by Israeli Forces Found

An Israeli army battle tank moves at a position in the upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on November 1, 2023 amid increasing cross-border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel as fighting continues in the south with Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
An Israeli army battle tank moves at a position in the upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on November 1, 2023 amid increasing cross-border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel as fighting continues in the south with Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)

The bodies of two Lebanese shepherds who had been shot at by Israeli forces were found in an area near the border on Thursday, the Lebanese state National News Agency (NNA) reported.
A spokesperson for the Israeli army said it was looking into the report.
The NNA, which gave no source for its report, said they had been tending to their flock near the Wazzani river when they were shot at.
Lebanese security sources told Reuters the shepherds from the Lebanese border village of Wazzani were aged 20 and 21.
UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force operating in south Lebanon, said on Wednesday the Lebanese army had asked for its assistance to evacuate two people who had been injured in the Wazzani area.
It said the Israeli army suspended fire to allow the Lebanese army and UNIFIL to conduct a search, but this had been called off until Thursday morning due to darkness and the presence of landmines in the area.
The Lebanese army has no official spokesperson and did not immediately publish a statement.
Israeli forces and the heavily armed, Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah have been exchanging fire along the border since the eruption of the conflict between Hamas - a Hezbollah ally - and Israel on Oct. 7.



Palestinians in Jenin Observe a General Strike

A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
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Palestinians in Jenin Observe a General Strike

A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)

Palestinians in the volatile northern West Bank town of Jenin are observing a general strike called by militant groups to protest a rare crackdown by Palestinian security forces.
An Associated Press reporter in Jenin heard gunfire and explosions, apparently from clashes between militants and Palestinian security forces. It was not immediately clear if anyone was killed or wounded. There was no sign of Israeli troops in the area.
Shops were closed in the city on Monday, the day after militants killed a member of the Palestinian security forces and wounded two others.
Militant groups called for a general strike across the territory, accusing the security forces of trying to disarm them in support of Israel’s half-century occupation of the territory.
The Western-backed Palestinian Authority is internationally recognized but deeply unpopular among Palestinians, in part because it cooperates with Israel on security matters. Israel accuses the authority of incitement and of failing to act against armed groups.
The Palestinian Authority blamed Sunday’s attack on “outlaws.” It says it is committed to maintaining law and order but will not police the occupation.
The Palestinian Authority exercises limited authority in population centers in the West Bank. Israel captured the territory in the 1967 Mideast War, and the Palestinians want it to form the main part of their future state.
Israel’s current government is opposed to Palestinian statehood and says it will maintain open-ended security control over the territory. Violence has soared in the West Bank following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, which ignited the war there.