By Amina Ismail and Ahmed Tolba
BEIRUT/CAIRO (Reuters) – Hezbollah said on Sunday it was fighting Israeli forces trying to infiltrate the southern Lebanese village of Ramiya, as a third U.N. peacekeeper was injured in the escalation of the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese group supported by Iran.
The Israeli strikes shook the peacekeepers’ main base in southern Lebanon, prompting U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Western countries to condemn the attacks. UNIFIL called the situation a “serious development” and said the security of UN personnel and assets must be guaranteed.
France summoned Israel’s ambassador and issued a statement with Italy and Spain calling such attacks “unjustifiable.” US President Joe Biden said he was asking Israel not to strike UNIFIL forces. Russia said it was “outraged” and called on Israel to refrain from any “hostile action” against the peacekeepers.
Israeli military strikes on Gaza on Saturday killed at least 29 Palestinians, medics said, and forces continued to move deeper into the Jabalia region, where international aid agencies say thousands are trapped.
Residents of Jabalia, to the north of the enclave and the largest of its historic refugee camps, said they were being shelled by Israeli forces from the air and on the ground.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Hezbollah fired nearly 320 projectiles from Lebanon toward Israel on Saturday, without providing further details. He declared areas around some towns in northern Israel closed to the public.
Evacuation orders were issued to residents of 23 villages in southern Lebanon to move north of the Awali River, which flows from the western Bekaa Valley to the Mediterranean.
The army said the evacuations were necessary for the safety of residents due to increased Hezbollah activities, saying the group was using sites to hide weapons and launch attacks against Israel. Hezbollah denies hiding weapons among civilians.
The Israeli military also issued new evacuation orders for two neighborhoods on the northern edge of Gaza City on Saturday, saying it was a “dangerous combat zone.” In a statement, the Hamas-led Interior Ministry urged residents not to move.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants erupted a year ago when the Iran-backed group began launching rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas at the start of the Gaza war.
Israel has intensified its military operations in recent weeks, bombing southern Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut and the Bekaa Valley, killing many Hezbollah leaders and sending ground troops across the border. Hezbollah, for its part, has fired rockets deeper into Israel.
Israel’s expanded operation has displaced more than 1.2 million people, according to the Lebanese government, which says more than 2,100 people have been killed and 10,000 injured in more than a year of fighting. The toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but includes many women and children.
UNITED STATES CALLS FOR “DIPLOMATIC ROUTE”
The Middle East remains on alert for further escalation, awaiting Israel’s response to Iran’s October 1 missile barrage in retaliation for Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Syed Hassan Nasrallah in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
U.S. officials believe Israel has limited its targets to military and energy infrastructure, NBC reported Saturday.
There is no indication that Israel will target nuclear facilities or carry out assassinations, the report said, citing unidentified U.S. officials, adding that Israel has not made a final decision on how and when to act.
U.S. and Israeli officials said a response could come during the current Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, NBC reported.
In a sign of a widening conflict, a Syrian security source said the US-led coalition in Syria targeted Iran-linked sites near Deir el-Zor airport on Friday evening, in northeastern Syria.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said in a statement on Sunday that it had targeted a military site in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights with drones as part of its support for the Palestinian people and Lebanon. He said he would continue to intensify attacks on Israeli strongholds.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Saturday that a third peacekeeper was injured in an Israeli strike when he was hit by gunfire on Friday, adding that the man was stable after undergoing surgery to remove the bullet.
The UNIFIL statement also said its position in the southern Lebanese town of Ramyah suffered significant damage due to explosions following nearby shelling, but did not specify who was responsible for any either of these attacks.
Two UN peacekeepers were injured Friday by an Israeli strike near their watchtower at the main UNIFIL base in Naqoura, southern Lebanon. UNIFIL has more than 10,000 troops, with Italy, France, Malaysia, Indonesia and India among the main contributors.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, expressed “deep concern” over reports that Israeli forces fired on peacekeeping positions in the UN in Lebanon in recent days and urged Israel to ensure their security and that of the Lebanese army. » said the Pentagon.
Austin also “reinforced the need to transition military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic channel as soon as possible,” according to the Pentagon statement.
Israel has rejected calls from the United States and other allies for a ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.
(Reporting by Ahmed Tolba, Adam Makary and Hatem Maher in Cairo, James Mackenzie in Jerusalem, Laila Bassam in Beirut; writing by Michael Perry; editing by Peter Graff, David Holmes, Daniel Wallis, David Gregorio; Sandra Maler and Kim Coghill)
