Photo: Reuters
Late on Tuesday, Israeli strikes targeted Lebanon's three northern border crossings with Syria for the first time, according to Lebanon's transport minister Ali Hamieh in an interview with Reuters. These strikes occurred shortly after US President Joe Biden announced a ceasefire that would take effect at 4am local time (2am GMT) on Wednesday, aimed at halting the hostilities between Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Israel. Hamieh mentioned that it was not immediately clear if the roads had been cut off due to the strikes. Israeli raids on Lebanon's eastern crossings in recent weeks had already sealed off those routes into Syria.
Syria's state news agency reported that four civilians and two soldiers were killed, with 12 people injured, including children, women, and workers from the Syrian Red Crescent. Earlier, the Red Crescent stated that a volunteer was killed and another was injured during 'the aggression that targeted Al-Dabousyeh and Al-Arida crossings... as they were performing their humanitarian duty of rescuing the wounded early on Wednesday.' The statement also noted that the strike damaged several ambulances and work points.
Syrian state TV reported that the Israeli strike hit the Arida and Dabousieh border crossings with Lebanon. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the matter. Previously, it has stated that it targets what it claims are Iran-linked sites in Syria as part of a broader campaign to curb the influence of Iran and its ally Hezbollah in the region.
Source link: https://www.khaleejtimes.com
