Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Kfarchouba, Lebanon, on Jan. 17, 2024. A member of Hezbollah and another from Hamas's armed wing Al-Qassam Brigades were killed on Wednesday, and six civilians were wounded in confrontations on the Lebanese-Israeli borders, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. (Photo by Taher Abu Hamdan/Xinhua)
BEIRUT, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A member of Hezbollah and another from Hamas's armed wing Al-Qassam Brigades were killed on Wednesday, and six civilians were wounded in confrontations on the Lebanese-Israeli borders, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the casualties resulted from Israeli warplanes and drones carrying out 19 airstrikes and using heavy artillery shelling on several villages and towns in southern Lebanon.
The sources added that Israeli forces fired machine-gun rounds from medium weapons and several phosphorus bombs toward farmers in the southern village of Wazzani, which led to several cases of suffocation.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah said its fighters carried out a series of attacks on Israeli sites, including the Sadana and Al-Alam sites in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms, and new technical equipment in the Bayad Blida site, Tal Shaar, Ruwaisat Al-Qarn, and the Al-Malikiyah sites, confirming injuries.
For its part, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Lebanon announced that it had fired 20 rockets towards the Lehman military barracks in Western Galilee in northern occupied Palestine.
Also, on Wednesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati discussed recent regional developments on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Mikati urged countries to pressure Israel to stop its attacks in southern Lebanon and its continued violations of Lebanese sovereignty.
The Lebanon-Israel border witnessed increased tension since Oct. 8, 2023 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 have killed 222 on the Lebanese side, including 159 Hezbollah members and 37 civilians, according to Lebanese security sources. ■
