Hamas Condemns Israel's 'Barbaric Aggression' in Lebanon as Hundreds Flee South

A child among displaced people from southern Lebanon amid traffic jam caused by Israeli shelling in Sidon (Reuters)
A child among displaced people from southern Lebanon amid traffic jam caused by Israeli shelling in Sidon (Reuters)
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Hamas Condemns Israel's 'Barbaric Aggression' in Lebanon as Hundreds Flee South

A child among displaced people from southern Lebanon amid traffic jam caused by Israeli shelling in Sidon (Reuters)
A child among displaced people from southern Lebanon amid traffic jam caused by Israeli shelling in Sidon (Reuters)

Hundreds of people in south Lebanon fled the deadliest Israeli bombardment in nearly a year of cross-border clashes between Hezbollah and Israel, a local official said.

Bilal Kachmar, an official at the disaster management unit in Tyre, said "hundreds of displaced people rushed to" a school-turned-shelter in the southern city, with many others "camping out in the streets".

AFP correspondents in the south saw rows of cars leaving nearby Sidon.

For its par, Hamas on Monday condemned Israeli strikes on south Lebanon.

"We, in the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, affirm that this wide-scale barbaric aggression is a war crime," Hamas said in a statement.

It also said that the group reaffirmed "our solidarity... with our brothers in Hezbollah and the brotherly Lebanese people".



Netanyahu Says Israel Won't Stop Striking Hezbollah

Lebanese army soldiers and residents stand in front of a damaged building in the southern suburb of Beirut following an Israeli raid, in Beirut, Lebanon, 26 September 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Lebanese army soldiers and residents stand in front of a damaged building in the southern suburb of Beirut following an Israeli raid, in Beirut, Lebanon, 26 September 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Netanyahu Says Israel Won't Stop Striking Hezbollah

Lebanese army soldiers and residents stand in front of a damaged building in the southern suburb of Beirut following an Israeli raid, in Beirut, Lebanon, 26 September 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Lebanese army soldiers and residents stand in front of a damaged building in the southern suburb of Beirut following an Israeli raid, in Beirut, Lebanon, 26 September 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel is striking Lebanon’s Hezbollah “with full force” and won’t stop until its goals are achieved.

Netanyahu spoke as he landed in New York to attend the annual UN General Assembly meeting and as US, European and some Arab officials were pressing for a 21-day halt in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah to give time for negotiations.

Netanyahu said Israel’s “policy is clear. We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force. And we will not stop until we reach all our goals, chief among them the return of the residents of the north securely to their homes.”

He added that he approved the “targeted killing operation” of the head of Hezbollah’s drone unit in south Beirut Thursday.

Israel has dramatically escalated strikes in Lebanon this week, saying it is targeting Hezbollah. Israeli leaders have said they are determined to stop more than 11 months of cross-border fire by the group into Israel, which has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of Israelis from communities in the north.