The Israeli military announced on Saturday that it had “interrupted the launch of a surface-to-air missile from Lebanon by one of its drones,” while Lebanese authorities issued a circular containing guidelines and instructions for the emergency evacuation of Beirut International Airport. Tensions are rising along the border between the two countries.
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I explained Israel On Saturday, its air defenses managed to intercept a surface-to-air missile launched from Lebanon with one of its drones.
The Israeli military said it “intercepted a surface-to-air missile fired from Lebanon at a military drone. In response, the Israeli military is shelling the source of the missile.”
There was no immediate comment from the Hezbollah group, which said 47 militants had been killed in border clashes as of Friday.
The United Nations Interim Force in South Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced on Saturday that its general headquarters had been hit by a shell, and that it was working to verify the source, in light of the military escalation between Hezbollah and Israel. The ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
UNIFIL spokeswoman Andrea Tenenti told Agence France-Presse that “a shell fell into the headquarters and its provenance is being verified,” noting that there was some damage but no casualties.
Sources previously said Hezbollah’s attacks were only aimed at keeping the Israeli army busy without provoking a major war. Israel has said it does not want to go to war and that the status quo will continue if Hezbollah remains calm.
In addition, as tensions flared again, Lebanese authorities issued a circular to evacuate the airport and surrounding facilities in an emergency. No current increase in the limit has been mentioned in the circular.
Clashes in Gaza, where Israel has intensified its ground offensive, have raised fears of an escalation of fighting in the region, including the tense Lebanese border.
Also, since the conflict erupted in Gaza three weeks ago, there have been daily firefights between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon, in the biggest clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border since the two sides fought a 2006 war.
That year, the runways of Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, located on the southern edge of the capital, came under Israeli airstrikes, forcing it to close. Bombing also hit other infrastructure in Lebanon.
France 24/Reuters
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