2 Lebanese Soldiers Killed as Airstrike Hits Near Lebanese Army Checkpoint

Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike at the village of Al Khiam in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, northern Israel, on 03 October 2024. (EPA)
Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike at the village of Al Khiam in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, northern Israel, on 03 October 2024. (EPA)
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2 Lebanese Soldiers Killed as Airstrike Hits Near Lebanese Army Checkpoint

Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike at the village of Al Khiam in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, northern Israel, on 03 October 2024. (EPA)
Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike at the village of Al Khiam in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, northern Israel, on 03 October 2024. (EPA)

Two Lebanese soldiers were killed and three others wounded in an Israeli airstrike that hit a building near a Lebanese Army checkpoint in Kafra, Bint Jbeil province, the Lebanese Army said Friday.

Since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon, Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters have clashed along the border while the Lebanese army has largely stood on the sidelines.

As Israeli troops made their first forays across the border and Hezbollah responded with rocket fire, Lebanese soldiers withdrew from observation posts along the frontier and repositioned about 5 km back.

On Oct. 3, a Lebanese soldier was killed and another injured in an Israeli strike in Taybeh during rescue operations. On Sept. 30, another Lebanese soldier was killed by an Israeli drone targeting a Lebanese Army checkpoint in Wazzani.



US Secretary of State Speaks with Lebanese Parliament Speaker about Situation

 Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP)
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP)
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US Secretary of State Speaks with Lebanese Parliament Speaker about Situation

 Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP)
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP)

Lebanon’s Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri received a phone call from the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken on Friday, which lasted about 40 minutes, during which they discussed the situation in Lebanon amid the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a statement from the speaker's office said.

The conflict erupted one year ago when the Iranian-backed group began launching rockets at northern Israel in support of the Palestinian group Hamas, at the start of the Gaza war.

It has intensified in recent weeks, with Israel bombing southern Lebanon, Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley, killing many of Hezbollah's top leaders, and sending ground troops across the border. Hezbollah for its part has fired rockets deeper into Israel.

Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem had earlier this week said the party backed moves by Berri, a Hezbollah ally, to secure a halt to the fighting.

Israel says its campaign in Lebanon aims to make northern Israel safe for tens of thousands of people forced to leave over the last year by Hezbollah rocket fire.

Its expanded operation has displaced more than 1.2 million people, according to the Lebanese government, which says more than 2,100 people have been killed and more than 10,000 wounded in over a year of fighting.