Tension is growing on Israel's northern border with Lebanon, increasing the chances that the war against Hamas in Gaza will be joined by a clash with unforeseeable consequences with Hizbullah. The Israeli authorities ordered this Friday the evacuation of residents of the city of Kiryat Shemona, located about 10 kilometers from the border with the Arab country, where intense exchanges of fire have occurred in the last week with the Shiite group and other militias. Palestinians.
The Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, approved the measure and the Army's northern command communicated it this morning to the mayor of the city, where some 23,000 people live. "The National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) of the Ministry of Defense and the Israel Defense Forces announce the evacuation of residents of the northern city of Kiryat Shmona to state-subsidized guest houses," a joint statement from both institutions.
This Thursday, Hizbullah claimed responsibility for launching anti-tank missiles and several attacks against Israeli military targets, while the Al Qasam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas - with which Israel went to war in Gaza two weeks ago - claimed responsibility for firing a thirty rockets from southern Lebanon. That rocket launch from Lebanon left three people injured in Kiryat Shmona.
Last Monday, Israel already evacuated some 28 communities located less than two kilometers from the border with Lebanon, which is experiencing its highest peak of tension since the 2006 war waged by the Israeli Army against Hizbullah and whose hostilities resumed the day after that the conflict in Gaza with Hamas and the Islamist militias of the Strip began.
In response, Israel has attacked Hizbullah targets with artillery and from the air along the entire border, infrastructure and observation posts of the group, which in the last year has gained a notable presence on the Blue Line, the established separation boundary. and controlled by the UN since 2006. "In addition, fighter jets attacked three terrorists who tried to launch anti-tank missiles towards Israel," an Israeli military spokesman confirmed this morning about their latest attack towards southern Lebanon this morning.
The last thirteen days of escalation on the border have left at least 30 dead: 5 in Israel - 4 soldiers and a civilian - and at least 25 in Lebanon, including 8 civilians - among them a cameraman from the Reuters agency -, 12 members of Hizbulah and 5 members of Palestinian militias.
