A source close to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah reported on Friday night that Israel had conducted attacks on a convoy of trucks entering Lebanon from Syria. The source informed AFP that "three Israeli strikes hit a convoy of tanker trucks at the Syrian-Lebanese border in the Hawsh el-Sayyed Ali area, injuring one Syrian driver." This incident is part of a series of Israeli strikes in the border region, according to the source. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, also reported Israeli strikes within Syria near the Lebanese border, though no casualties were mentioned. These strikes targeted an area close to a border crossing "used by Hezbollah for transporting trucks and members" between Lebanon and Syria, according to the Britain-based Observatory, which gathers information from a network of sources inside Syria. The Observatory detailed that one strike targeted a truck convoy, while another hit "a farm on the outskirts of Qusayr in Homs province." Hezbollah maintains a significant presence on both sides of the eastern stretch of the Lebanese-Syrian border, where it supports the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Since its Palestinian ally Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, triggering war in Gaza, Hezbollah has been engaged in near-daily exchanges of fire with Israeli forces. Following the recent deaths of its military chief Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Hezbollah has scaled back its attacks. However, the group claimed responsibility for five attacks on Israeli military positions near the border on Friday. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, speaking at Shukr's funeral, warned that Israel and its supporters should expect a response to these killings. Since October, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has resulted in at least 542 deaths on the Lebanese side, including 114 civilians, according to an AFP count. On the Israeli side, at least 22 soldiers and 25 civilians have been killed, including in the annexed Golan Heights, according to military figures.
Text: Lara Palmer
03.08.2024
Hezbollah claims responsibility for attacks on Israeli positions amid ongoing border tensions.