Israel fired flares, incendiary shells on villages in southern Lebanon overnight: Lebanese media

By Ikram Kouachi

Israeli forces shelled villages in southern Lebanon on Friday night, Lebanese state media said, as tensions along its border with Israel remain high.

Israel fired flares and incendiary shells, the national news agency said, adding that the shelling aimed at setting fire to forests adjacent to the Blue Line border.

Lebanese group Hezbollah and the Israeli army have intermittently exchanged fire since the latest conflict broke out in Gaza on Oct. 7, prompting fears of escalation into a bigger confrontation.

The conflict began when the Palestinian group Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood -- a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air.

Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched a relentless bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. The military campaign intensified Friday night after the military said it was “expanding operations” into the territory.

At least 7,326 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli attacks. Some 70% of the Palestinian deaths are women and children, according to official figures.The death toll in Israel stands at more than 1,400.

Gaza's 2.3 million residents are grappling with shortages of food, water, and medicine due to Israel’s massive air bombardment and total blockade of the enclave.

UN General Assembly late Friday approved a resolution calling for a humanitarian truce, but Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen called it “despicable” and rejected it.

The near-total information blackout in Gaza risks providing cover for "mass atrocities," said the Human Rights Watch.

Amnesty International, for its part, called on Israel to put an immediate end to “indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks,” which have already killed and harmed many civilians.