BEIRUT, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib on Thursday slammed Israel for continuing its threats against Lebanon, calling for a cease-fire to reduce tension in the region.
"Israel must stop threatening to return Lebanon to the Stone Age," Bou Habib was quoted by the National News Agency as saying.
He made the remarks when meeting with nine foreign ambassadors in Beirut. "The cease-fire is the beginning of the path to reducing tension in the region and preventing the expansion of the conflict," the minister added.
The Lebanese-Israeli border has seen increased tension for the past dozen days after Lebanon-based armed group Hezbollah fired on Oct. 8 tens of rockets toward Israeli military sites in support of a surprise attack launched by Hamas on Oct. 7 on Israel, prompting heavy artillery fire from the Israeli side.
Also on Thursday, two Hezbollah fighters were killed during confrontations with the Israeli army on the border, according to a statement by the Lebanese Shiite military group.
Sources from Lebanese Internal Security Forces told Xinhua that an Israeli drone raided the Shanouh area outside Kfarchouba village, while warplanes raided the outskirts of the villages of Kafr Kila and Yaroun and the town of Deir Mimas.
The sources added that Israeli artillery also bombed several Lebanese villages, causing damage to a number of homes and igniting fires in the forests.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced that it had attacked the Israeli site of Hanita with guided missiles and artillery, destroying several technical equipment. ■
