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Israel Retaliates in Southern Lebanon

(Financial Times-UK) Raya Jalabi - Over nearly nine months of conflict with Hizbullah, Israel's military has laid waste to military targets across southern Lebanon. In the villages and towns that dot the frontier, some entire neighborhoods have been levelled within a 5 km. corridor just north of the UN-drawn border. Hassan Shayt, mayor of the town of Kfar Kila, said: "There are neighborhoods that look like Gaza." Just handfuls of civilians remain. Most buildings are empty; many have been destroyed. Hizbullah began firing into northern Israel on Oct. 8 in "solidarity" with Hamas and to draw Israeli military forces away from Gaza. Attempts to negotiate a deal that would include Hizbullah pulling back from the border have not succeeded. The UN says more than 95,000 people have been forcibly displaced in Lebanon. Israeli strikes have killed more than 90 civilians and 320 Hizbullah fighters - more militants than died in a month-long war in 2006. Hizbullah's attacks on northern Israel have killed more than two dozen soldiers and civilians and displaced about 60,000 people. A senior Israeli military official said that "this isn't a buffer zone. We just want Hizbullah pushed back....We have to 'clean out' the area of Hizbullah's presence. They pose a direct threat to Israeli homes via sniper fire, anti-tank guided missiles, cross-border attack and other means. This is a tactical need to provide security for Israeli residents." Israel said it exclusively targets Hizbullah positions. "Every third home in south Lebanon is used by Hizbullah for weapons storage, training, firing positions and meeting points for a possible cross-border attack," said the senior Israeli military official.
2024-06-30 00:00:00
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