Israeli Shelling on Southern Lebanon Leaves One Injured

Smoke billows after an Israeli raid on the town of Marwahin in southern Lebanon. (AFP)
Smoke billows after an Israeli raid on the town of Marwahin in southern Lebanon. (AFP)
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Israeli Shelling on Southern Lebanon Leaves One Injured

Smoke billows after an Israeli raid on the town of Marwahin in southern Lebanon. (AFP)
Smoke billows after an Israeli raid on the town of Marwahin in southern Lebanon. (AFP)

One person was injured on Thursday in Israeli shelling on southern Lebanon amid the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that Israeli army positions in the Mount Hermon area came under missile attacks originating from Lebanese territory. The army confirmed that two anti-tank missiles were fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel, with no reported casualties.

The "Islamic Resistance" released separate statements claiming responsibility for targeting surveillance equipment at the radar site in the Shebaa Farms, as well as Israeli positions in Ramta and Samaka.

In response to Israeli gunfire, the Lebanese Red Cross evacuated an injured individual from the town of Wazzani to the government hospital in Marjeyoun, reported Lebanon’s National News Agency.

Additionally, Israel shot phosphorus shells over the southern Lebanese town of Al-Dhaira Al-Fawqa.

Israeli forces launched a morning offensive targeting Labbouneh and Alam mountains from positions near Mount Labbouneh. Israeli warplanes also carried out raids on the Al-Jabain and Tayr Harfa areas, targeting a commercial shop for the second time within days, with no reported injuries.

The Israeli army unleashed heavy artillery shells on the outskirts of several towns, including Naqoura, Mount Labbouneh, Alma al-Shaab, Tayr Harfa, Dhayra, Aita al-Shaab, Bayt Lif, and Rmeish. The attack caused severe damage to crops, olive and pine trees, and the water network.

Mohammad Nayef Hamoud, a Hezbollah member, was killed in an airstrike on a house in Bayt Lif.

Residents of the South continued to flee their homes to escape the unrest.

Latest figures from the International Migration Organizations and the Lebanese Ministry of Health revealed that over 83,000 residents in the south have evacuated their homes. A total of 151 people have been killed and 686 injured in the unrest.

In the Tyre district alone, 23,419 people have been officially registered as displaced, according to Bilal Qashmar, the media coordinator in the “Disaster Management Unit” of the Union of Tyre Municipalities.



Israel Extends Cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian Banks, Official Says

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends an inauguration event for Israel's new light rail line for the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, in Petah Tikva, Israel, August 17, 2023. (Reuters)
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends an inauguration event for Israel's new light rail line for the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, in Petah Tikva, Israel, August 17, 2023. (Reuters)
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Israel Extends Cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian Banks, Official Says

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends an inauguration event for Israel's new light rail line for the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, in Petah Tikva, Israel, August 17, 2023. (Reuters)
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends an inauguration event for Israel's new light rail line for the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, in Petah Tikva, Israel, August 17, 2023. (Reuters)

Israel's finance minister has extended a waiver that allows cooperation between its banking system and Palestinian banks in the occupied West Bank, the minister's spokesperson said on Sunday.

The waiver, which was due to expire at the end of June, allows Israeli banks to process shekel payments for services and salaries tied to the Palestinian Authority. Without it, the Palestinian economy would have taken a hit.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich extended the waiver during a recent cabinet meeting, his spokesperson said.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said it was important to keep open the Israeli-Palestinian correspondent banking relationships to allow battered economies in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to function and help ensure security.

The Palestinian economy relies heavily on this relationship to process transactions made in Israeli shekels.

Some 53 billion shekels ($14 billion)were exchanged at Palestinian banks in 2023, official data show.