There have been fierce clashes around Khiam, where bodies were still trapped beneath the rubble [AFP/Getty]
Israel and Hezbollah continued to trade fire on Friday as Israeli airstrikes killed more civilians in southern Lebanon. More Israeli soldiers were also pronounced dead in combat.
At least one paramedic from the privately-run Islamic Health Authority was killed in a raid in south Lebanon’s Tyre district. Nearly 180 health workers have been killed in the cross-border fighting between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, which spiralled into a full-blown war in September.
The state-run National News Agency said Friday a convoy from the International Red Cross and UNIFIL are preparing to set out for the south Lebanon town of Khiam to complete the recovery of bodies.
Rescuers have tried for weeks to retrieve bodies trapped beneath the rubble in Khiam. Lebanon’s caretaker Health Minister Firas Abyad had previously said Israel was not letting paramedics and civil defence teams approach the town’s outskirts.
Khiam witnessed fierce battles between Hezbollah and Israel in recent weeks as Israeli forces tried capturing the hill-top border town.
Two people were also killed in the village of Kfar Tebnit in the Nabatiyeh district. An Israeli airstrike was also reported on Hawsh Sayyed Ali at Lebanon’s northeastern border with Syria.
The Lebanese health ministry said Friday that 53 people had been killed and 161 injured in total in the past 24 hours.
Israel has focused its attacks on southern Lebanon, the eastern Beqaa region, and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Across the border in northern Israel, sirens sounded across the Galilee and port city of Haifa after a barrage of rockets was fired by Hezbollah.
The group said it targeted the Ramat David airbase and Stella Maris naval base near Haifa. A drone also intercepted the city’s airspace.
Despite being dealt very heavy blows in the war, Hezbollah has continued to launch missiles and fight back Israeli forces in the south which began an invasion at the start of last month.
The Israeli military has for weeks tried to advance deeper into Lebanese territory amid fierce clashes with Hezbollah fighters.
The Israeli army on Friday said another one of its soldiers — a major ranking officer — succumbed to his wounds sustained in combat. Israeli media added that six soldiers were killed in battles in the Lebanese border village of Aitaroun.
But Israel has adopted a scorched earth policy at the frontier region, detonating entire neighbourhoods and destroying dozens of towns and villages which have been emptied of their residents.
Analysts believe this is Israel’s attempt to create a buffer zone for when the war ends, making it near-impossible for residents to return. The Israeli government and military say their operations in south Lebanon aim to push Hezbollah back from the border and facilitate the return of tens of thousands of northern Israeli residents who have left their homes.
