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Militants from Hezbollah on Saturday (local time) have engaged with the advancing Israeli forces in southern Lebanon after air raids and artillery strikes targeted multiple towns in the region, Al Jazeera reported.
Citing the official Lebanon National News Agency, Al Jazeera reported that Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire struck several towns across southern Lebanon. The news report said air raids hit the town of Mefdoun in southern Lebanon and areas between Mefdoun and Zawtar al-Sharqiyah. Heavy artillery shelling also targeted nearby towns, including Zawtar, Yahmar, Arnoun and Mefdoun, Al Jazeera reported. Meanwhile, Israeli forces attempted to advance into the border town of Aita al-Shaab, where gunfire and shelling were heard during clashes. According to Al Jazeera, militants from Hezbollah responded by firing guided missiles at the advancing Israeli troops. Press TV reported that Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets targeting a gathering of Israeli troops at al-Khazzan Hill. Earlier, Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Lieutenant Ben Cohen described Hezbollah as an "Iranian terrorist proxy" and said that all cards were on the table to stop the Lebanese militant group from moving forward with its "terrorist agenda". When asked about whether Israel plans to launch a ground invasion in South Lebanon, Lt Cohen told ANI that the current security situation must be understood in the context of past events. He recalled Hezbollah joining Hamas in an attack against Israel on October 8, 2023. "To understand the situation in Lebanon, you have to understand the history. And the history in this regard starts - we're talking about October 8th, 2023. Then, too, a different terrorist organisation, Hamas, launches an attack against Israel, and Hezbollah decides to join. On October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah decided to join, Israel made the difficult decision to evacuate over 60,000 civilians in the north and remove them from their homes, you know, and it took a very long time until they could come back. We understand that we can't live in a reality where terrorist organisations are threatening our civilians inside their homes," he said. Lt Cohen said that Israel has taken a "forward defensive posture" with its forces moving hundreds of meters from the border with Lebanon to protect Israeli civilians so that Hezbollah can't fire those rockets. (ANI)
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