Israeli airstrikes sever key Lebanon-Syria border crossing
Beirut: Israeli warplanes struck the Al-Qaa Jousieh border crossing between Lebanon and Syria for the second time in a week, Lebanese military sources said.
Four air-to-ground missiles hit the Syrian side of the crossing in the northeastern Hermel region, creating a crater 10 metres long and 4 metres deep, the sources told Xinhua news agency on condition of anonymity. The strike rendered the crossing inoperable after it had been partially reopened following an earlier raid.
Israel has targeted the Masnaa border crossing and five other official crossings, along with numerous unofficial routes along the Lebanon-Syria border, since October 4, according to Lebanese officials.
The strikes come amid intensifying cross-border exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah since September 23, which have raised fears of a wider regional conflict as the Israel-Hamas war continues in Gaza, Xinhua news agency reported.
The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon since the beginning of the conflict on October 8, 2023, reached 2,968, while injuries went up to 13,319, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported on Saturday.
The Israeli military has accused the Hezbollah militant group of using the crossings to move weapons and military equipment from Syria to Lebanon. But humanitarian officials say that the closure of the crossings has intensified an already severe humanitarian crisis by blocking key routes for supplies and impeding access for those fleeing to safety.
The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, said this week that around 430,000 people had crossed from Lebanon into Syria over the past month since Israel launched a major aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Lebanon as part of its push against Hezbollah. Lebanese officials give a higher estimate of more than half a million people.
Rula Amin, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, voiced concern over the damage to the crossings, calling them “a main lifeline for people escaping the conflict”.