Israeli artillery shells southern Lebanon towns on 1st day of Eid al-Fitr: Report

By Stephanie Rady

BEIRUT (AA) - Israeli artillery shelled seven border towns in southern Lebanon on the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

Israeli forces opened fire with medium machine guns, accompanied by intermittent artillery shelling, on residential neighborhoods in the towns of Adaisseh, Kfarkela, and Blida, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency.

The Israeli army also intermittently shelled the towns of Naqoura, Yaroun, Alma Al Shaab, and Jabal al-Bounah, the agency added.

The news agency did not mention any casualty or material damage.

Earlier, Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, the head of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), called for a cessation of border confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.

Tension has flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchanges of weapons fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.

The escalation comes amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 33,300 Palestinians following a Hamas attack last October.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul