A picture taken from Israel along the border with southern Lebanon shows smoke billowing during Israeli bombardment in the Lebanese village of Yaroun on April 9, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. (Credit: Menahem Kahana/AFP)
BEIRUT — Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged sporadic fire along the Lebanese-Israeli border on Tuesday, after a rather quiet night, according to security sources relayed by L'Orient Today's correspondent, while the region tenses in anticipation of an Iranian retaliation to the Israeli strikes that targeted the embassy in Damascus last week.
Bassil calls for separation of southern front from Gaza
During a press conference held in the late afternoon on Tuesday, Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil said that his party had “directed messages to the ambassadors of the fifteen countries in the Security Council ... and to the key countries in UNIFIL, and to the countries of the Quintet Committee, and to the Vatican, and to the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, and the [caretaker] Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and the [caretaker] Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib demanding a cease-fire in the South regardless of what is happening in Gaza."
"We have one goal,” Bassil said, “which is not to expand the war against Lebanon, a matter agreed upon by many Lebanese, including Hezbollah, and all countries friendly to Lebanon, while Israel wants to drag us into a war according to its scale, desires, and capabilities, causing us harm.”
“Our aim is to protect and strengthen Lebanon, not weaken it, yet we are not neutral between right and wrong, Israel is wrong, and we are right."
Bou Habib talks cease-fire with Cypriot FM
Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib announced that he met with his Greek counterpart and discussed the need to "establish an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, protect rescuers and civilians, and deliver humanitarian aid." The two ministers also advocated for the "implementation of UN Resolution 1701 (which ended the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006) that promotes stability in South Lebanon."
"We have informed our Greek friends that we do not want a war that will enflame the Middle East," the minister said.
Hezbollah attacks on Israel
Hezbollah claimed attacks against Israeli positions, while artillery shells targeted various villages in southern Lebanon.
First, Hezbollah said that it targeted, on Tuesday at dawn, a group of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Israeli site of Jal al-Alam, facing the Lebanese village of Naqoura, with artillery shells.
At 10:30 a.m., Hezbollah launched an attack on a position of Israeli soldiers and a Merkava tank in the Doviv barracks, facing the Lebanese southern village of Yaroun, according to a statement published by the party. Hezbollah claimed that the tank was destroyed and that there were casualties among the Israeli soldiers.
In a third statement, Hezbollah said that it targeted the Zebdin barracks in the disputed Shebaa farms with artillery shells at noon.
Later, at 3 p.m., according to a Hezbollah statement, the party's fighters hit drone jammers located at the "al-Assi" Israeli site, as well as a deployment of Israeli soldiers positioned in the Baghdadi locality, which is located opposite the Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab (Bing Jbeil district).
At 3:15 p.m., Hezbollah announced that it had shelled the "Rouaissat al-Alam" position in the Kfar Shuba heights, claiming to have "directly hit" its target. At 4 p.m, Hezbollah says it targeted the "al-Aassi" Israeli site "hitting it directly with shells."
Last night, at 11:10 p.m., Hezbollah targeted with artillery shells a group of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Ramim barracks, facing the Lebanese village of Markaba, according to a statement published by the party.
Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon
On the other side of the border, Israel has targeted Lebanese border villages intermittently using artillery fire and machine guns since the morning.
Israeli artillery shelling targeted the forests of Yaroun (Bint Jbeil) and the outskirts of Tayr Harfa (Sour district), according to residents' testimonies relayed by our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah. The Israeli army also fired machine guns at the outskirts of Alma al-Shaab (Sour), residents told L'Orient Today.
Later in the afternoon, Israeli warplanes launched missile strikes targeting the wreckage of the Hermes 900 drone that was downed by Hezbollah a few days ago between al-Azia and Kfar Kila, security sources told L'Orient Today.
Overnight, Between 11 and 11:45 p.m., Israeli artillery shelling targeted the village of Hanin (Bint Jbeil). After midnight, An Israeli drone fired a missile on Wadi Hujjeir (Nabatieh district). This was accompanied by heavy Israeli artillery shelling on the same area. Israel, using machine guns, fired on the area of Labouneh, south of Naqoura (Sour).