Hezbollah Fires Rockets At Israel; Countries Urge Citizens To Leave Lebanon

An explosion is seen on a tower that the Islamic Resistance said was at an Israeli military site near the Israel-Lebanon border in this screengrab obtained from a social media video by Reuters on October 19, 2023.
An explosion is seen on a tower that the Islamic Resistance said was at an Israeli military site near the Israel-Lebanon border in this screengrab obtained from a social media video by Reuters on October 19, 2023.

In the ongoing escalation of violence along the Israel-Lebanon border, the Lebanese group Hezbollah has reported firing rockets at an Israeli position on Thursday.

In response, the Israeli military launched an artillery barrage, marking the latest exchange in the most significant border violence escalation in 17 years.

Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, has stated that 13 of its fighters have been killed in these cross-border exchanges. The tensions began on October 7 when the Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel, prompting an Israeli counteroffensive in Gaza.

Hezbollah claims its fighters used guided missiles to strike the Israeli position in Manara and attacked four other Israeli positions on the same day.

The Israeli military confirmed that fighters in Lebanon fired at least two anti-armor missiles into Israel, hitting the border village of Manara, though no casualties were reported.

In response to the escalating border tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, the US and British embassies in Beirut advised their citizens to leave Lebanon while commercial flight options are still available. Both countries had previously warned against travel to Lebanon.

“We recommend that US citizens in Lebanon make appropriate arrangements to leave the country; commercial options currently remain available,” a US embassy statement said.

The German government also encouraged its citizens to enter their contact information on an online crisis portal and stay updated on the latest safety advisories within the country.

As the situation remains volatile, many countries, including, France, Canada, Australia, Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, have issued advisories and warnings regarding travel to Lebanon or encouraged their citizens to leave due to the precarious security situation.