Clashes continued in southern Lebanon on Friday afternoon.
An Israeli drone fired two missiles at a vehicle in the town of Saida, on the outskirts of the Palestinian camp of Ain al-Hilweh, at around 6 pm, killing Samer Hage, the Hamas head of security in the camp, and seriously wounding his bodyguard. Two nearby civilians were also wounded.
In reaction to the leader’s death, a demonstration broke out in the Palestinian camp. It is also important to note that this was the first time since the start of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel that the major city in southern Lebanon had been targeted.
Earlier in the afternoon, a Civil Defense ambulance belonging to the Al-Risalah Scouts Association was targeted by an artillery bombardment in the village of Mays al-Jabal.
This strike was strongly condemned by the Ministry of Health, which denounced the “persistence of the Israeli enemy in repeating its attacks on rescue teams.”
The Ministry added that the ambulance “was carrying out a humanitarian mission in the region” and that “the team narrowly escaped the attack, although the commissioner was wounded by shrapnel requiring specialized treatment in hospital.” They concluded by calling on the international community to condemn “these Israeli aggressions, which constitute a clear and explicit violation of the laws and conventions in force in times of war.”
Additionally, several Israeli strikes targeted the villages of Aita al-Shaab, Al-Khuraiba al-Janoubiya, Kfar Kila, Markaba, Mohaybib, Tloussa, and Rmeish.
For its part, Hezbollah announced that “in response to the enemy’s aggression against the village of Hanawiyeh, we shelled the headquarters of brigade 769 in the Kiryat Shmona barracks with a salvo of Katyusha rockets and Falaq rockets”. Adding that “its members targeted at 09:40 this Friday morning a gathering of Israeli army soldiers around the Metula site with missile weapons”.
The pro-Iranian group also announced that it had targeted buildings used by Israeli soldiers in the Manara settlement and the Doviv barracks.
Israeli Channel 12 also reported that two buildings on Kibbutz Manara had been hit by anti-tank missiles fired from southern Lebanon.
Finally, alarm sirens sounded in the Israeli towns of Metula, Kfar Yoval, Avivim, and Yaroun on the border with Lebanon, as well as several towns in the Galilee due to suspicion of drone infiltration.
Lebanon – Israeli Drone Targets Vehicle in Saida
On Friday, around 6 PM, an Israeli drone targeted a car in Saida, near the Ain El Helwe Palestinian refugee camp.
This is the first time since the start of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel that a major city in South… pic.twitter.com/ujwj49ZrxR
— This is Beirut (@ThisIsBeirut_) August 9, 2024
