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The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shifted its ground operations to the western direction of southern Lebanon in the last few days after failing to advance in the eastern direction, Hezbollah announced on October 11.
In a statement, Hezbollah’s Operations Room said that Israeli troops made several infiltration attempts from the border sites of Ras al-Naqoura and Jal al-Alam towards the towns of al-Mushairfa and al-Labouneh, taking advantage of the area’s rough terrain.
The infiltration attempts were covered by dozens of airstrikes as well as heavy shelling from land and sea, according to the group.
“On Tuesday [October 8], an Israeli enemy army force attempted to advance from Ras al-Naqoura towards the border area of al-Labouneh with the aim of reaching the UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon] center in al-Labouneh and stationing themselves there, but the Islamic Resistance fighters confronted them with appropriate weapons and forced them to retreat,” the group said.
“On Wednesday [October 9], the Israeli enemy army returned to advance towards al-Labouneh through three repeated attempts, but the fighters confronted them in each attempt with rockets, artillery shells and guided missiles which forced them to retreat, suffering heavy losses in their troops,” it continued.
The group also said that “on Wednesday, the Resistance fighters monitored an infiltration attempt by an Israeli enemy army force from Ras al-Naqoura towards the al-Mushairfeh area, so they targeted them with a suicide drone that exploded among the elements of the infiltrating force, resulting in the death and injury of most of its members.”
“On Thursday [October 10], a group of Israeli soldiers, accompanied and protected by a Merkava tank, tried to advance towards the al-Labouneh area from Ras al-Naqoura. As soon as the tank was within range of fire, the resistance fighters targeted it with a guided missile that hit it directly, destroying it, setting it on fire, killing its crew and wounding the soldiers taking cover behind it. The enemy failed in four attempts, over a period of hours, to advance to withdraw the casualties, as the fighters confronted it each time with appropriate weapons and forced it to withdraw,” it added.
In addition, Hezbollah announced that its fighters continued to target Israeli gatherings in sites, barracks and settlements along the border.
The group also revealed that its rocket and drone attacks on bases and settlements in the depth of northern Israel were increasing.
“It is worth noting that the Israeli enemy army, days after announcing the start of what it called the ground maneuver in southern Lebanon, cannot show its tanks and military vehicles to the Lebanese side for fear of being targeted and is positioning them in uncovered places, and despite that they are targeted by missiles and artillery shells and suffer heavy losses,” the group said. “The Israeli enemy has failed, until the time of preparing this statement, to control any of the commanding hills that it is trying to advance to, and is content with reaching some houses on the outskirts of some border villages with the aim of taking pictures and organizing media visits.”
Furthermore, Hezbollah called on civilians in northern Israel to stay away from the IDF gatherings and deployment points, vowing to keep settlements in northern Israel empty until the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon is over.
“The Israeli enemy army has used the homes of settlers in some settlements in northern occupied Palestine as gathering centers for its officers and soldiers, and its military bases that manage the aggression against Lebanon are located inside neighborhoods in major occupied cities such as Haifa, Tiberias, Acre, and others. These homes and military bases are targets for the missile and air force of the Islamic Resistance, and accordingly we warn the settlers from being near these military gatherings in order to preserve their lives until further notice,” the group said.
“The Islamic Resistance is committed to its covenant and promise to its supreme and most holy martyr, His Eminence the Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, that the settlements in northern occupied Palestine will remain free of settlers until the war on Gaza and Lebanon stops,” it added.
Separately, Hezbollah’s Military Media released two videos showing some of the group’s recent rocket attacks on northern Israel, including ones that targeted the cities of Haifa and Safed.
The clashes on the Lebanese-Israeli border first broke out after the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, with Hezbollah launching attacks in support of the Palestinian enclave. Israel escalated its attacks on Lebanon starting from September 17 and on September 27 it assassinated the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nassrallah.
The IDF officially announced the launch of a limited ground operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on September 30.
So far, the confrontation has resulted in 29 civilian deaths in Israel and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as well as the deaths of at least 34 soldiers and security officers. On the Lebanese side, more than 2,229 people have been killed, including more than 500 members of Hezbollah.
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