ALBAWABA — Fighting got worse in Lebanon on Saturday. Hezbollah said it stopped an Israeli ground landing in the eastern Bekaa Valley, while Israeli airstrikes spread to several areas, killing several people and forcing many people to flee.
Hezbollah says that Israeli helicopters were seen late on Friday night near the border town of Nabi Sheet in the Bekaa region. The group added that an Israeli army battalion tried to sneak into the eastern side of the town, but Hezbollah militants fought them directly with light and medium weapons.
Hezbollah stated in a statement that its fighters faced off against the Israeli unit near a cemetery in the town, forcing them to pull back. The group also said that Israeli planes did over 40 airstrikes in the region to protect the troops as they retreated.
Hezbollah said that people from adjacent villages also helped throughout the fight.
The Health Ministry of Lebanon said that Israeli attacks on Nabi Sheet killed 16 people and hurt 35 others. However, these numbers are still preliminary because rescue workers are still looking for survivors under the wreckage.
The rise in violence wasn't just in the Bekaa Valley. Israeli warplanes also hit various places in southern Lebanon, such as the towns of Zawtar, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Arnoun, Shaqra, Yater, Aita al-Shaab, and Maroun al-Ras, as well as neighborhoods in Ansar. According to Al Jazeera reporters, the attacks are part of a larger Israeli air campaign on areas that face out over the Litani River.
Hezbollah kept firing missiles and drones into Israeli territory in response. Reports from the area said that about eight rockets were fired from southern Lebanon toward the Galilee region. The organization also said they were responsible for a rocket bombardment that hit Israeli forces near the southern edge of Khiam early Saturday.
After anything happened with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), tensions also increased. The UN said that three peacekeepers were hurt when artillery munitions hit a UN base in southern Lebanon.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke out against the attack on the UN presence, calling it deplorable and asking for respect for Lebanon's sovereignty and the safety of international peacekeeping soldiers. Officials in Lebanon said that Israel was to blame for the bombing and cautioned that it could be against international law.
At the same time, reports say that Israel is thinking about sending more troops to southern Lebanon. Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir has called for more operations to set up another defensive line that would make it harder for Hezbollah to launch missiles.
The continuous escalation has also made the humanitarian situation worse. Warnings from Israel about evacuating have caused a lot of people to leave their homes in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa region. The Norwegian Refugee Council said that about 300,000 individuals have already had to leave their homes.
The most recent events come at a time when tensions are high in the region after the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes on Iran, which have led to a growing war on multiple fronts in the Middle East.
