Hezbollah guerrillas fought Israeli troops pushing towards the Shiite Muslim town of Khiam in southeast Lebanon yesterday, though an Israeli Cabinet minister said plans for a deeper ground assault were on hold.
Hezbollah unleashed a score of rockets on northern Israel, killing two people, including a toddler, medics said.
In Beirut, an Israeli helicopter fired a missile at a disused radio tower in the heart of the capital, wounding two people, security sources said.
PHOTO: EPA
It was the deepest Israeli strike into the Lebanese capital in a month-old campaign against Hezbollah guerrillas. Another missile hit a radio tower in the Christian town of Amsheet, north of Beirut.
Israeli troops headed towards Khiam as artillery and air strikes pounded Hezbollah positions in the area, residents said.
The fighting intensified even though Israel's tourism minister said plans for an expanded ground offensive, approved on Wednesday, had been put on hold to allow more time for US-led diplomatic efforts to bear fruit.
The UN Security Council has been divided over a resolution aimed at halting the fighting and stabilizing the area with the deployment of an international force to back the Lebanese army.
"There is a certain diplomatic process under way," said Minister of Tourism Yitzhak Herzog, a member of the security Cabinet.
"We can allow a little more time to see if there's a possibility for a diplomatic process," he said.
Hezbollah guerrillas, firing anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs, hit at least two Israeli tanks near the town of Marjayoun on Thursday during fierce fighting in the area after a major Israeli incursion.
"I can see two tanks burning some 500 meters from Marjayoun," the resident said by telephone.
"For the past 10 minutes, Hezbollah has been raining rockets and mortars on the Israeli force between Marjayoun and Khiam," he said.
Hezbollah said in a statement it had destroyed 11 Israeli tanks, killing or wounding their crews, in fighting in the area.
Israeli planes and artillery pounded Khiam as fighting raged.
Israeli infantry had advanced from the border to the Christian towns of Marjayoun and Qlaiah and the village of Burj al-Molouk overnight, virtually unopposed.
They passed through the towns and appeared not to take positions inside them, witnesses said. The troops were followed by tanks, which drew intense Hezbollah fire.
Witnesses said Israeli soldiers were entering and leaving residential areas after imposing a curfew. The priest of the area's main church pleaded over its public address system for people to stay indoors and keep away from windows, residents said.
Meanwhile, more than 20 Katyusha rocket had been fired into northern Israel by 0830 GMT, a police spokesman said yesterday.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS