INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Israel carried out a series of massive airstrikes overnight in southern suburbs of Beirut and another that cut off the main border crossing
between Lebanon and Syria.The new wave of strikes came after Israel warned people to evacuate communities in southern Lebanon that are
outside a United Nations-declared buffer zone, as the yearlong conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah
escalates.Israel launched a ground incursion into Lebanon on Tuesday and its forces have been clashing with Hezbollah militants in a narrow
Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived on Friday in Beirut, where he was expected to discuss the war between Israel and Hezbollah with Lebanese
rapidly escalating attacks between Israel and Iran and its Arab allies that threatens to push the Middle East closer to a regionwide
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on what the intended target was, and there was no information immediately available on
Thursday.The agency also reported that an Israeli airstrike led to the closure of the road near the busy Masnaa Border Crossing, from which
tens of thousands of people fleeing war in Lebanon have crossed into Syria over the past two weeks.Associated Press video footage showed
that the strikes left two huge craters on each side of the road
People carrying bags were seen crossing on foot after being dropped off by cars that were unable to pass the site of the airstrike.The
airstrike that cut the busiest border crossing between the two countries came a day after an Israeli military spokesperson said Hezbollah
has been trying to transport military equipment through the border crossing.Hezbollah is believed to have received much of its weaponry from
forces.Dama Post, a pro-government Syrian media outlet, said Israeli warplanes fired two missiles, damaging the road between the Masnaa
crossing in Lebanon and the Syrian crossing point of Jdeidet Yabous.It was the first time this major border crossing has been cut since the
Lebanese General Security recorded 256,614 Syrian citizens and 82,264 Lebanese citizens crossing into Syrian territory between Sept
30.
There are half a dozen border crossings between the two countries and most of them remain open
7, 2023, in which the militants killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage.Meanwhile, the Israeli army said it carried out a strike
Thursday in Tulkarem, a militant stronghold in the occupied West Bank, in coordination with the Shin Bet internal security service.The
Palestinian Health Ministry said 18 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a refugee camp there.Violence has flared across the
Israeli-occupied territory since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October 2023
Tulkarem and other northern cities have seen some of the worst violence.Israel declared war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip in response to their
More than 41,000 Palestinians have since been killed in the territory, and just over half the dead have been women and children, according
to local health officials
Nearly 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon in that time, most of them since Sept
23, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.Source: AP--Agencies
