The conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah resumed a year ago when the militant group began firing rockets at Israel in support of Palestinian militants Hamas at the start of the most recent Gaza war.
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Israeli strikes have killed at least 2309 people in Lebanon over the last year, the Lebanese government said in its daily update, the majority since September. The toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Israel says its operations in Lebanon are aimed at securing the return of tens of thousands of people displaced from their homes in northern Israel.
Israel at odds with UN peacekeepers
The Israeli military said it had killed Muhammad Kamel Naim, commander of the anti-tank missile unit of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, in a strike in the Nabatieh area of south Lebanon. Hezbollah did not immediately comment.
The operations come amid tensions between Israel and the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL in south Lebanon, as Israel keeps pushing forces through the area in an attempt to wipe out Hezbollah and its military infrastructure.
The UN said Israeli tanks had burst into its base on Sunday, the latest allegations of Israeli violations against peacekeeping forces.
Israel disputed the UN account and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said UNIFIL was providing “human shields” for Hezbollah, an allegation Hezbollah denies.
UNIFIL has said previous Israeli attacks limited its monitoring abilities and UN sources say they fear any violations of international law in the conflict will be impossible to monitor.
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European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said EU member states had taken too long to condemn Israel’s attacks on UNIFIL soldiers, describing them as “completely unacceptable”.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged EU members to respond to a request by Madrid and Ireland to suspend the bloc’s free trade agreement with Israel over its attacks in Lebanon and Gaza.
EU countries, led by Italy, France and Spain, have thousands of troops in the 10,000-strong peacekeeping mission.
The Israeli military took foreign journalists into southern Lebanon on Sunday and showed them a tunnel shaft that was less than 200 metres from a UNIFIL position – a tunnel they claimed belonged to Hezbollah.
Since announcing its ground operation near the border, the Israeli military says it has destroyed dozens of Hezbollah tunnel shafts, rocket launchers and command posts.
Israeli soldiers inspect what they claim is a Hezbollah tunnel found, according to the army, during an Israel Defense Forces media tour near Naqoura, southern Lebanon on Sunday.Credit: Getty Images
Hezbollah possesses an extensive tunnel network in southern Lebanon, which Israel says extends for hundreds of kilometres. A Hezbollah field commander told Reuters last week that the tunnels “are the foundation of the battle”.
Meanwhile, the entire Middle East remains on high alert as Israel considers retaliating against Iran for an October 1 barrage of missiles launched in response to Israel’s assaults on Lebanon.
The Pentagon said it would send US troops to Israel, along with an advanced US anti-missile system.
On Monday, the US embassy in Lebanon strongly encouraged its citizens to leave, warning that additional flights laid on by the government to help Americans leave since September 27 would not continue indefinitely.
Reuters
