On Sunday, Israel Defense Systems (IDF) announced it had exchanged fire with the terrorist group Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group in Lebanon, in a contested area in Israel.
This exchange comes on the heels of a devastating attack by Palestinian terrorist group Hamas that left hundreds of Israelis dead and thousands injured.
Hezbollah, an armed party backed by Iran, launched guided rockets and artillery onto three posts in the Shebaa Farms area. They claimed this was “in solidarity” with the Palestinian people, following a multi-pronged attack by Palestinian terrorists on Israeli towns.
Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine warned that the attack in Shebas was a “message” to the Israelis and the US to stop this “foolishness” or the whole region will be involved in the war.
“The responsibility obliges all the sons of our nation not to be neutral and we are not neutral,” Safieddine said at an event in Beirut’s southern suburbs according to Naharnet.
“The resistance sent a message this morning in Kfarshouba to say that it is our right to target the enemy that is still occupying our land and the Israelis must read this message well,” he added.
“There is a message to the Americans and Israelis that what happened in Gaza means that your protracted foolishness and underestimation have led you to the Al-Aqsa Flood (Operation), and if you go further today, you will witness the flood of the entire nation, not only al-Aqsa,” Safieddine threatened.
He also warned that “the scene of the storming of settlements around Gaza coupled with rocket shelling will one day be repeated dozens-fold stronger, from Lebanon and from all the areas that are adjacent to occupied Palestine.”
Footage shows mortars fired from Lebanon landing in the Mount Dov area pic.twitter.com/qoVK9aEw3X
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 8, 2023
Spokesman for the Islamist group Hezbollah, Ibrahim Al Moussawi wrote, “The time of defeats has passed, and the time of victories has come. This equation is the one that will prevail at the level of every axis of resistance, from Palestine to Yemen. What comes after October 7, 2023 is not the same as before. This is a strategic historical juncture. Israel will not continue as it was, and neither will the resistance and its axis. Days of glory, glory and victory.”
ولى زمن الهزائم وجاء زمن الانتصارات.
— Ibrahim Al Moussawi (@ibrahimmousawi) October 8, 2023
هذه المعادلة هي التي ستسود على مستوى كل محور المقاومة من فلسطين الى اليمن.
ما بعد ٧ تشرين اول ٢٠٢٣ ليس كما قبله، هذا مفصل تاريخي استراتيجي.
اسرائيل لن تستمر كما كانت وكذلك المقاومة ومحورها.
أيام المجد والعز والنصر .
Israel’s military responded by firing artillery into the area in Lebanon from where the cross-border fire was initiated. An Israeli drone also struck a Hezbollah post in the area of Har Dov, another region in Shebaa Farms.
“In response to a Hezbollah attack from Lebanon into Israel, IDF Artillery struck targets in the area,” the IDF said in a statement.
“An IDF UAV also struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in the area of Mount Dov. The IDF has taken preparational measures for this type of possibility. We will continue to operate in all regions and at any time necessary to ensure the safety of the Israeli civilians,” it added.
In response to a Hezbollah attack from Lebanon into Israel, IDF Artillery struck targets in the area.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 8, 2023
An IDF UAV also struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in the area of Mount Dov.
The IDF has taken preparational measures for this type of possibility. We will continue to…
The IDF released footage of its attack showing the destruction of Hezbollah tents and other infrastructure along the Lebanon border.
IDF publishes footage of it striking the Hezbollah tent and other infrastructure on the Lebanon border in response to the mortar fire pic.twitter.com/B7V0Vf7O91
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 8, 2023
More from Arab News:
The Israeli military said on Sunday it fired artillery into an area of Lebanon where cross-border mortar fire was launched. “IDF (Israel Defense Forces) artillery is currently striking the area in Lebanon from where a shooting was carried out,” it said.
Israel’s military said one its drones struck a Hezbollah post in the area of Har Dov, an area in Shebaa.
“At this point, there is no further threat in Har Dov or the northern arena,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in televised remarks, adding that the military remained on high alert.
Israel has held the Shebaa Farms, a 15-square-mile (39-square-km) patch of land, since 1967. Both Syria and Lebanon claim the Shebaa Farms are Lebanese.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said it had “detected several rockets fired from southeast Lebanon toward Israeli-occupied territory” as well as artillery fire from Israel into Lebanon in response.
“We are in contact with authorities on both sides of the Blue Line, at all levels, to contain the situation and avoid a more serious escalation,” spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said.
The United Nations’ special coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, expressed deep concern over the exchange of fire and urged parties to “shield Lebanon and its people from further conflagration.”
“I am deeply concerned about the exchange of fire across the Blue Line this morning,” Wronecka wrote on X. “It is more important than ever to abide by the cessation of hostilities and the full implementation of Resolution 1701, to shield Lebanon and its people from further conflagration. UNSCOL, in coordination with UNIFIL, will continue to do all it can and support efforts to safeguard Lebanon’s security and stability.”
via thegatewaypundit
