Hezbollah Says Israel Hasn’t Captured Any Villages in Southern Lebanon

Smoke rises from Odeisseh in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, 17 October 2024. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Smoke rises from Odeisseh in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, 17 October 2024. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
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Hezbollah Says Israel Hasn’t Captured Any Villages in Southern Lebanon

Smoke rises from Odeisseh in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, 17 October 2024. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Smoke rises from Odeisseh in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, 17 October 2024. EPA/ATEF SAFADI

A Hezbollah lawmaker said on Thursday the Israeli military had not so far captured any villages in southern Lebanon.

"They thought that by assassinating our leader and committing crimes against our people they would achieve what they want, and some rushed to reap the results, but the resistance has begun a new phase of resisting the aggression," MP Hassan Fadlallah said.

"The choice of the resistance leadership is to continue fighting with all means to prevent the enemy from achieving its goals and force it to stop its aggression," he added.

Fadlallah also told reporters that Hezbollah's leadership was carefully coordinating with Speaker Nabih Berri in efforts to secure a ceasefire in the fighting with Israeli forces.

Hezbollah said Thursday it has destroyed two Israeli tanks near the Lebanese border with "guided missiles", after close combat with Israeli troops staging incursions in the area.

The group targeted two Merkava tanks in Labbouneh near the coastal border town of al-Naqoura, as attacks escalated after Israel intensified bombing of the country last month. The attacks burned the tanks and caused casualties, Hezbollah said.

Hezbollah later targeted a group of soldiers between Kfarkila and Adaisseh.

The group also targeted Thursday Kfar Vradim and Misgav Am in northern Israel.

The Israeli military said it has killed a local Hezbollah commander in a southern Lebanese town near the border.

The military said Thursday that an airstrike on Bint Jbeil killed Hussein Awada, who it said was in charge of firing projectiles into Israel from areas near the town.

Israel bombed several towns in south Lebanon, including Houla, Zawtar, Arnoun, Aita al-Shaab, Anqoun, al-Rihan, Arab Salim, Kounine, Hanine, Ramia, Kfarkila, Kfarshouba, Shebaa and Siddiqine.

The Israeli army also ordered residents of al-Hawsh, al-Abbasiyeh, Tayr Dibba and Bourj el-Shemali in the Tyre district to evacuate and later struck the area.

In the eastern Bekaa valley, Israel's army raided the towns of Tamnnine, Saraaine and Sefri.

Military spokesman Avichay Adraee had ordered residents of the towns to leave, warning that the area would again be targeted by Israeli forces.



Israeli Military Checking Possibility that Sinwar Has Been Killed

FILE PHOTO: Yahya Sinwar, Gaza Strip chief of the Hamas movement, waves to Palestinians during a rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day), in Gaza, April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Yahya Sinwar, Gaza Strip chief of the Hamas movement, waves to Palestinians during a rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day), in Gaza, April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo
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Israeli Military Checking Possibility that Sinwar Has Been Killed

FILE PHOTO: Yahya Sinwar, Gaza Strip chief of the Hamas movement, waves to Palestinians during a rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day), in Gaza, April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Yahya Sinwar, Gaza Strip chief of the Hamas movement, waves to Palestinians during a rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day), in Gaza, April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo

The Israeli military said on Thursday that it was checking the possibility that it has killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar following an operation in the Gaza Strip that it said had targeted three militants.
"At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed," it said in a statement.
It said there were no signs that Israeli hostages had been present in the building where the three militants were killed.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas.
If confirmed, the death of Sinwar would represent a major boost to the Israeli military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a string of high-profile assassinations of prominent leaders of its enemies in recent months.
Israel's Army Radio said the incident had occurred during a targeted ground operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip during which Israeli troops killed three militants and took their bodies.
It said visual evidence suggested it was likely that one of the men was Sinwar and DNA tests were being conducted. Israel has samples of Sinwar's DNA from his period in an Israeli jail.

Sinwar, the chief architect of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, has been at the top of Israel's wanted list ever since. But he has so far eluded detection, possibly hiding in the warren of tunnels Hamas has built under Gaza over the past two decades.

Previously leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, he was named as its overall leader following the assassination of former political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.

Israel also killed Hasan Nasrallah, leader of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement, in Beirut last month as well as much of the top leadership of the group's military wing.