UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon have called for an immediate de-escalation, as hostilities persist on Friday along the Lebanese-Israeli border following Israel’s most intense airstrikes in nearly a year of conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah, Reuters reports.
The Israeli military announced on Thursday that it had struck hundreds of Hezbollah rocket launchers prepared to fire at Israel, in what Lebanese security sources described as the strongest assault since hostilities began last October.
The conflict, sparked by the war in Gaza, has significantly escalated this week, with Hezbollah suffering an unprecedented attack. Pagers and walkie-talkies used by its members exploded, killing 37 people and injuring nearly 3,000.
The UNIFIL peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon reported a “sharp intensification of hostilities” along the Lebanese-Israeli border and in its area of operations over the past 12 hours.
“We are concerned about the escalation along the Blue Line (border between Lebanon and Israel) and urge all actors to de-escalate immediately,” UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told Reuters.
Israeli airstrikes hit at least three villages in southern Lebanon on Friday, according to Lebanese security sources and Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television, which broadcast footage showing a cloud of smoke rising after one of the strikes.
The Israeli military has not yet commented on the strikes.
Hezbollah stated that its fighters launched a guided missile at an Israeli military position in Metula, a border town frequently targeted by the Lebanese group over the past year.
On Friday, the Israeli army lifted movement and gathering restrictions imposed the previous evening in several northern Israeli communities and the Golan Heights after the Israeli airstrikes began.
Lebanese security sources said four people were injured in Israel’s intense bombardment on Thursday. It was not immediately clear if the victims were Hezbollah members.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is the most severe since the 2006 war. Tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border have been forced to flee their homes.
While the fighting has mostly been concentrated in border areas so far, this week’s escalation has raised concerns that the conflict could continue to spread and intensify.
On Thursday, the U.S. warned all parties in the Middle East against escalation, stating that Washington’s priority is finding a diplomatic solution. “We will continue to support Israel’s right to self-defense, but we don’t want to see any side escalate this conflict, period,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press briefing.
