Hezbollah Pressures Israel with Drone Assaults, ‘Burkan’ Missiles

Snapshot from a video of a site targeted by Israel, reportedly belonging to Hezbollah (Reuters)
Snapshot from a video of a site targeted by Israel, reportedly belonging to Hezbollah (Reuters)
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Hezbollah Pressures Israel with Drone Assaults, ‘Burkan’ Missiles

Snapshot from a video of a site targeted by Israel, reportedly belonging to Hezbollah (Reuters)
Snapshot from a video of a site targeted by Israel, reportedly belonging to Hezbollah (Reuters)

Hezbollah has targeted Israeli military gatherings west of Kiryat Shmona using attack drones, artillery, and military positions with ‘Burkan’ missiles.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes intensified in southern Lebanon, reaching, for the first time, a church in the district of Bint Jbeil.
The Israeli bombardment did not subside throughout the day.
“The Israeli army hit the Saint George Church in the town of Yaroun, southern Lebanon, near the border,” Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.
“Several areas in southern Lebanon came under Israeli fire from tanks, fighter jets and helicopters, including an attack on the home of Lebanese lawmaker, Qabalan Qabalan, who is a close ally to Hezbollah, the group that has been trading cross-border attacks with Israel since Hamas’s 7 October attacks on southern Israel,” the NNA added.
Video footage depicted significant damage to the house, indicating it was hit by two shells.
Furthermore, other news agencies highlighted Israeli direct shelling on the town of Markaba and the outskirts of towns around Hula and Horsa, situated between Deir Mimas and Kfar Kila.
In a statement, Hezbollah announced that the number of casualties in the Israeli settlements adjacent to the borders has reached 1,523 since the escalation began on Oct. 8.
The party issued separate statements indicating that its fighters targeted concentration centers and the deployment of Israeli soldiers west of Kiryat Shmona.
They did so through three drone attacks on one occasion and artillery shelling on another, resulting in direct casualties.
Additionally, they targeted an infantry gathering near the Dahiyra site and another assembly point in the Triangle of Tayhat with rockets and artillery, causing injuries.
Furthermore, Hezbollah fighters targeted an Israeli infantry force on the Karnitina hill near the Hadeb Yaron site.
Several military sites became the focus of Hezbollah fighters, some of which were reportedly struck by Burkan missiles.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.