The war between Israel and Lebanon has escalated along the Blue Line, a UN-drawn border between the two nations, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed his “deep concerns.”
In response to continuous attacks on northern Israel, the Israeli army said on Friday that it had carried out airstrikes against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, a force supported by Iran.
The Israeli military released a statement on Friday night stating that no injuries had been reported.
It was not possible to independently verify the information.
The war between Israel and Lebanon has escalated along the Blue Line, a UN-drawn border between the two nations, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed his “deep concerns.”
“The risk for the conflict in the Middle East to widen is real – and must be avoided,” he said.
Since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip in October, there have been daily clashes between the Israeli army, Hezbollah and allied groups in the border area between Israel and Lebanon.
There have been numerous casualties on both sides. The mutual shelling caused heavy destruction in villages on either side of the border. About 150,000 people have been evacuated or have left the combat zone due to the violence.
Hezbollah is allied with the Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip but is considered to be much more powerful.
Israel wants to use military and diplomatic pressure to ensure that Hezbollah retreats behind the Litani River, 30 kilometres from the border – as stipulated in an important UN resolution on the 2006 conflict.
“The parties must urgently recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities,” Guterres said.