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Israel Says Eliminates Hezbollah 'Golan Heights' Member, Syrian Media Report Israeli Airstrikes

Forensic inspect a residential building hit by a reported Israeli air strike, in the Mazzeh suburb on the western outskirts of Syria's capital Damascus on October 8, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
Forensic inspect a residential building hit by a reported Israeli air strike, in the Mazzeh suburb on the western outskirts of Syria's capital Damascus on October 8, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
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Israel Says Eliminates Hezbollah 'Golan Heights' Member, Syrian Media Report Israeli Airstrikes

Forensic inspect a residential building hit by a reported Israeli air strike, in the Mazzeh suburb on the western outskirts of Syria's capital Damascus on October 8, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
Forensic inspect a residential building hit by a reported Israeli air strike, in the Mazzeh suburb on the western outskirts of Syria's capital Damascus on October 8, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)

Israel's military said it had eliminated a Hezbollah member in Syria who relayed intelligence against Israel in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, while Syrian media reported on Thursday that Israeli airstrikes hit targets in Syria.
Israel, which has carried out strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria for years, has ramped up its raids since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by the Iran-backed Palestinian group Hamas on Israeli territory, which ignited Israel's war in Gaza, Reuters said.
Israel has escalated its retaliation for the Hamas attack, sending troops into Lebanon and airstrikes into Iran, Yemen and Syria in the hunt for Iran-backed militants, raising fears of a wider Middle East conflict that could draw in Iran and the United States.
Ground clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, which is also backed by Iran, were spreading along southern Lebanon's mountainous frontier on Wednesday as the Middle East was on high alert awaiting Israel's response to an Iranian missile strike last week.
US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday about potential Israeli retaliation against Iran, in a call both sides described as positive.
The two leaders discussed Israel's plans in the 30-minute call, and Biden urged Netanyahu to minimize civilian harm in Lebanon, the White House said.
Israel has promised that arch-foe Iran will pay for its missile attack, which caused little damage, while Tehran has said any retaliation would be met with vast destruction, raising concerns of broader fighting in the oil-producing region.
Biden last week made comments discouraging Israel from striking Iranian oil fields and said he would not support Israel striking Iranian nuclear sites.
STRIKES IN SYRIA
The Israeli army said on Wednesday it had eliminated Adham Jahout, a member of Hezbollah’s “Golan Terrorist Network” in the area of Quneitra in Syria.
The army said Jahout's role was to relay information from Syrian regime sources to Hezbollah and transmit intelligence gathered on the Syrian front to facilitate operations against Israel in the Golan Heights.
Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed the area, a move not recognized by most countries.
Syrian state TV said early on Thursday that Israel had carried out airstrikes targeting an industrial site in the Syrian city of Homs and a military site in the countryside near the city of Hama, causing "some material damage".
The strikes targeted a car manufacturing plant in Homs and caused a fire, Syrian TV said, citing the director of the industrial site, Amer Khalil.
Explosions were also heard in the Syrian city of Daraa and were being investigated, state media reported.
The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had intercepted a drone that approached Israel over the Red Sea but did not cross into Israeli territory, minutes after the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it had targeted Israel's Eilat with drones.

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Iraq Receives 7,000 Lebanese, Ministry of Migration Denies Settlement Allegations

The Immigration Department in Salah al-Din registers the arrival of Lebanese in the governorate. (Government media)
The Immigration Department in Salah al-Din registers the arrival of Lebanese in the governorate. (Government media)
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Iraq Receives 7,000 Lebanese, Ministry of Migration Denies Settlement Allegations

The Immigration Department in Salah al-Din registers the arrival of Lebanese in the governorate. (Government media)
The Immigration Department in Salah al-Din registers the arrival of Lebanese in the governorate. (Government media)

The Iraqi Ministry of Migration has estimated that around 7,000 Lebanese citizens have arrived in Iraq, fleeing the ongoing war and the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, particularly in predominantly Shiite areas.

Meanwhile, the head of Najaf’s Provincial Council has urged the parliament to take advantage of the expertise among the displaced by contracting them to work in governmental institutions.

Ali Abbas Jahangir, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Migration, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the total number of Lebanese arrivals in Iraq is still not precise, as full statistics from land and air crossings, such as the Al-Qaim border crossing and Najaf and Baghdad airports, have not yet been provided.

He added: “The data we have indicate there are 4,600 displaced persons, and we estimate there may be around 7,000 based on initial figures from religious offices and border crossings.”

Jahangir denied rumors of a plan to resettle Lebanese refugees in Iraq, stating: “This is not about resettlement. There are cities and hotels in Karbala and Najaf that have accommodated them, but some families preferred to go to relatives and friends in other Iraqi provinces.”

Iraqi activists had discussed political efforts to resettle the Lebanese in various Iraqi cities, with some even circulating unverified recordings suggesting that Diyala province was being considered as a potential location for them.

The ministry’s spokesperson explained: “We have a few Lebanese families in Diyala, also in Salah al-Din province, and about five families went to the southern city of Samawah to stay with acquaintances and friends, as per their own preference.”

On Monday, the Ministry of Migration issued an urgent call to Lebanese citizens in Iraq, asking them to contact the ministry via provided phone numbers to “register them in the ministry’s database, secure their essential needs, and provide all possible assistance until the current crisis ends.”

The head of Najaf’s Provincial Council, Ghaith Raad al-Kilabi, submitted to the Iraqi Parliament a proposal to take advantage of the medical expertise of Lebanese professionals among the displaced population.

In his proposal to the federal parliament, Kilabi stated: “Given the arrival of a number of skilled professionals, including those in specialized medical fields, we suggest taking advantage of these scientific competencies according to their expertise and the needs of the country.”