Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire on border

ISTANBUL

Tension on the Israeli-Lebanese border escalated on Sunday, as the Israeli army and Hezbollah exchanged fire amid an ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Hezbollah in a statement said it attacked five Israeli military sites near the southern borders of Lebanon.

The Lebanese group said it struck Hanita military barracks with guided missiles in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon a day earlier, which killed and wounded journalists and civilians in Lebanon.

Nine rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory, the Israeli army said, adding that it is “currently striking the launch site.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Saturday called on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, warning that the war might expand to other parts of the Middle East.

Last week, Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel – a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air.

It said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening living conditions in an area that has endured a crippling siege since 2007, as well as ordering more than 1 million Gazans in the northern strip to evacuate to the southern strip.

At least 2,450 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air raids, while the number of Israelis killed in Hamas’s military operation stands at 1,300.​​​​​​​

An estimated 1 million Gazans have been displaced, according to the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees.​​​