BEIRUT: Fears of further tensions in southern Lebanon rose on Friday as an Israeli strike killed two Hezbollah and two Hamas members.
One of the Hamas members was Samer al-Hajj, a security guard at the Palestinian refugee camp in Ain al-Hilweh, who was killed when the car he was in was hit by a missile fired from an Israeli drone. The incident took place in the city of Sidon, 44 kilometers (27 miles) from Beirut, and was the first time the city had been targeted.
Two Hezbollah members were killed in an earlier attack on Naqoura.
Hostilities continued Friday as the Lebanese government, which includes Hezbollah, welcomed a joint statement from the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and the United States.
The statement stressed “the need to immediately end the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, reach a ceasefire and reach an agreement to release hostages and detainees.”
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Fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East have led several airlines to suspend flights to Lebanon.
It also called on the two parties involved to “urgently resume discussions to overcome remaining obstacles to reaching the desired agreement.”
“The trilateral statement reflects Lebanon’s vision to de-escalate tensions in the region and avoid a full-scale regional war by taking the first fundamental step, which is an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2735, which is based on the initiative of US President Joe Biden,” Lebanon’s foreign ministry said.
Stressing the need to “exercise maximum pressure on Israel to get it to sit at the negotiating table and comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2735 without delay.”
The Lebanese statement came as Israel's state broadcaster said: “People in Lebanese border towns must remain near safe areas until further notice.”
On Friday, Israeli drones were seen flying over border villages, including Yahun, Quneen and Bint Jbel, using loudspeakers to broadcast provocative messages in Arabic against Hezbollah and its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, prompting the militants to retaliate by firing machine guns at them.
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The U.S. Embassy in Beirut reiterated Friday that it “invites those wishing to depart Lebanon to book any available flight, even if it does not depart immediately or on their preferred route.”
It recommends that “US citizens who choose not to leave Lebanon should prepare an emergency response plan and be prepared to shelter in place for an extended period of time.”
Fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East have led several airlines to suspend flights to Lebanon, including Air Algerie and Air India.
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Britain advises British airlines “not to enter Lebanese airspace from 8 August until 4 November”, citing “potential risks to aviation from military activity”.
On the first day of the 11-month conflict, there were more reports of Israeli assassinations of Hezbollah field personnel after Israeli forces violated Lebanese airspace and infiltrated landlines, mobile phones and internet networks.
Hezbollah announced the deaths of Mehdi Mahmoud Kzaibani, 30, from Harouf, and Hadi Jihad Deeb, 27, from Bafliyeh in southern Lebanon, who were killed in an Israeli strike in Naqoura early Friday morning.
On Thursday night and Friday morning, Israel hit Aita al-Shaab and a house in the town of Hanawai. The house was uninhabited, but five civilians were injured in a nearby home, the Health Ministry reported.
Israeli military spokesman Avichai Adrai said the Israeli targets were “Hezbollah headquarters in Hanavi and infrastructure in Aita al-Shaab.”
Lebanese security sources said Hezbollah responded with a series of attacks limited to Israeli military bases, strategic bases and logistics bases in response to Israeli attacks, while avoiding civilian targets.
“There were several strikes on the settlement (Kiryat Shmona),” the Israeli military radio reported, adding that “the last strike included 10 rockets fired from Lebanon into the settlement.”
Israeli media reported hearing five explosions and a missile strike in Kiryat Shmona.
Hezbollah said it hit the headquarters of the 769th Division in the Kiryat Shmona military camp with Katyusha rockets in retaliation for Israel's Hanavi attack. Hezbollah also hit Israeli troops gathered near Metula with missiles.
In response to the attack in Naqoura, Hezbollah launched a squadron of precision drones to attack the headquarters of the newly formed Western Division coastal battalion in the town of Liman, “targeting the positions and concentrations of the battalion’s personnel and soldiers.”
The group said it “accurately struck targets and confirmed casualties.”
Hezbollah attacked “the al-Sammaka compound in the occupied Kfar Shuba hills of Lebanon with rockets” and “a building used by the military in the Manara settlement”.
Israeli air strikes hit Talluseh town in Marjeyoun district, coinciding with artillery shelling of the town.
