Mosque hit as raids, phosphorus bombs strike southern Lebanon front

Israeli artillery shelling intensified on Thursday at various Lebanese border towns where Hezbollah is active.

War correspondents reported “the use of phosphorus bombs by the Israeli army in shelling the outskirts of the town of Khiam.”

Israeli Channel 14 reported that the Iron Dome intercepted 20 missiles fired from southern Lebanon towards the Galilee Panhandle.

The Israeli military launched a drone strike on a house located in the town center of Aita Al-Shaab.

The property belongs to Lebanese citizen Haidar Srour, who evacuated with his family at the start of escalations on the border. Israel targeted the house in a previous raid as well.

An Israeli drone bombed a mosque in the town of Jebbayn with a missile, causing damage to it, and the region between Alma Al-Shaab and Naqoura came under artillery shelling from the Israel Defense Forces.

Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes in the forested and plain areas near Aitaroun and Maroun Al-Ras, and the area between Chihine and Marwahin was subjected to Israeli shelling. Wadi Saluki and Mays Al-Jabal were also subjected to artillery fire.

In the morning, Israeli artillery targeted the Awaidah and Aaziyyeh hills on the outskirts of the town of Taybeh, which experienced a power outage due to a targeted attack on the high-voltage transmission network supplying the area.

Lebanon’s southern border is split into three sectors known as the Blue Line — west, central, and east. The east sector is the most important strategically as it includes disputed mountain villages of the Arqoub area between Lebanon, Syria, and Israel.

Reports of unknown callers asking homeowners to evacuate before shelling have increased in the southern region.

Political analyst Ali Al-Amin told Arab News several people had reported being contacted by people who speak Arabic, and they had experienced similar situations.

“This does not mean that the Israeli army is showing mercy to civilians because we can see its massacres in the Gaza Strip, but it seems that its current plan in Lebanon is not to target civilians,” he said.

“The Israelis have access to the communication data of people in southern Lebanon and perhaps in other regions.

“It is concerning that some people who received calls from unknown people were unaware that the caller was from Israel.

“Men and women answered normally, thinking the caller wanted to ensure they were safe.”

Al-Amin added: “The technological advancement possessed by the Israeli army during these confrontations may have surprised Hezbollah as it accurately hits targets. In return, Hezbollah may have achieved field gains through its tactics to mitigate its losses.”

Hezbollah announced Thursday that it targeted the Yiftah outpost and a gathering of Israeli soldiers and vehicles in its surroundings.

The group also targeted the Israeli forces in the vicinity of the Shomera outpost.

Army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said that Israeli fighter jets struck Hezbollah’s infrastructure and military buildings inside Lebanon.

Adraee said that the Israeli side “detected the launching of a rocket from Lebanon toward the Shomera region on the Lebanese border.”

Hezbollah announced the death of one of its fighters, Ahmad Hassan Moukahal, from Jouaya village in southern Lebanon.

The militant group announced the death of two of its fighters on Wednesday, bringing the total toll of Hezbollah fighters killed since the violence broke out along the Lebanese border on Oct. 8 to 101 as of Thursday afternoon.