Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Tayr Harfa, Lebanon, on Dec. 18, 2023. A Hezbollah fighter was killed and a civilian injured on Monday in confrontations on the Lebanon-Israel borders, according to Lebanese military sources. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)
BEIRUT, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Hezbollah fighter was killed and a civilian injured on Monday in confrontations on the Lebanon-Israel borders, according to Lebanese military sources.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the casualties were caused by Israeli heavy artillery bombardment in the southeastern Lebanese village of al-Mari, which also demolished five houses and damaged another 20.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah announced that its artillery hit on Monday two Iron Dome platforms north of the Capri settlement, and a gathering of Israeli soldiers and vehicles in the vicinity of the al-Hamra site.
Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, head of mission of the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL), on Monday described the situation in southern Lebanon as "tense, difficult and dangerous."
The UNIFIL seeks to maintain the status quo by mediating between the two parties "to avoid errors or interpretations that could lead to further escalation," he told reporters before meeting French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna in Lebanon.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed during his meeting with Colonna the priority of stopping Israeli attack against Lebanon and implementing Resolution 1701, which was adopted in August 2006 to seek a full cessation of hostilities shortly after a month of deadly warfare between Israel and Hezbollah ended with a fragile truce.
For her part, Colonna emphasized that "it is necessary to reduce escalation from both sides in southern Lebanon to find a solution that would be a prelude to establishing permanent stability in the south."
The Lebanon-Israel borders witnessed increased tension since Oct. 8 after Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel in support of the Hamas attacks on Israel the previous day, prompting Israel to respond by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.
The confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel killed 158 on the Lebanese side, including 111 Hezbollah members, a Lebanese army soldier, one member of the Amal Movement, 16 members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and 29 civilians, according to Lebanese security sources. ■
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Tayr Harfa, Lebanon, on Dec. 18, 2023. A Hezbollah fighter was killed and a civilian injured on Monday in confrontations on the Lebanon-Israel borders, according to Lebanese military sources. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Tayr Harfa, Lebanon, on Dec. 18, 2023. A Hezbollah fighter was killed and a civilian injured on Monday in confrontations on the Lebanon-Israel borders, according to Lebanese military sources. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)
