Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire in escalating conflict

BEIRUT, Oct 8 (Reuters) – After a deadly attack by Palestinian gunmen on Israeli towns, Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group engaged in artillery and rocket fire on Sunday. The attack by Palestinian gunmen left approximately 500 Israelis dead, resulting in Israel retaliating with bombardment that killed over 300 Palestinians. This large-scale attack has raised concerns of a broader conflict erupting between Israel and other factions in the region, including Hezbollah, an armed party backed by Iran that has clashed with Israel before.
On Sunday, Hezbollah announced that it had fired guided rockets and artillery at three posts in the Shebaa Farms region in solidarity with the Palestinian people. The Lebanese army reported that shells and rockets were launched from southern Lebanon onto “occupied Lebanese territory,” but did not specify the responsible party. In response, Israel fired artillery into the area where the cross-border fire originated, and the Israeli military remained on high alert throughout the day.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, detected rocket fire from southeast Lebanon towards Israeli-occupied territory, as well as Israeli artillery fire into Lebanon. UNIFIL is in contact with authorities on both sides of the demarcation line, also known as the Blue Line, in an effort to contain the situation and prevent further escalation. The special coordinator for Lebanon at the United Nations expressed deep concern about the exchange of fire and called on all parties to protect Lebanon and its people from further conflict.

Author: OpenAI