• 

Three United Nations troops were lightly injured Sunday following a bomb near their vehicle near Lebanon's southern border.

"Earlier today, three peacekeepers on patrol were lightly injured when an explosion occurred near their clearly marked UN vehicle in the vicinity of Yarine, in south Lebanon," according to a statement from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

UNIFIL explained that "All peacekeepers in the patrol returned safely to their base. We are looking into the incident."

Earlier Sunday, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency stated that "Israeli enemy warplanes" hit the town of Dhayra, around one kilometer (0.6 miles) from Yarine, "resulting in injuries".

According to a UNIFIL source, the explosion that injured the peacekeepers was most likely caused by a close air attack, although "not a direct hit".

Earlier in August, Under Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix told AFP that UNIFIL was "more important than ever" amid the ongoing cross-border clashes because it was "the only liaison channel between the Israeli side and the Lebanese side in all its components, such as Hezbollah".

It is noteworthy that last year, the United Nations Security Council extended UNIFIL's mandate for another year, following a contentious debate over the troops' freedom of movement.

Operational since 1978, UNIFIL is charged with maintaining a "buffer zone" between the Israeli occupation forces in northern occupied Palestine and Lebanon.

The force was significantly expanded in 2006 after the 34-day war between the Lebanese Resistance and "Israel", with the responsibility of overseeing the ceasefire between the two sides.

The renewed mandate closely mirrored the 2022 agreement, particularly regarding the freedom of movement for the approximately 10,000 troops stationed in Lebanon, a point of contention with the Lebanese government.

Fires rage in Safad area after large-scale rocket attack by Hezbollah

Several fires broke out in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories as a result of a salvo of rockets fired by Hezbollah targeting the Israeli Ayelet HaShahar settlement near occupied Safad. 

Warning sirens were sounded in several settlements and the city of Safad in northern occupied Palestine at around 12:00 pm (local time), including the occupied city of Safad and the town of Biriyeh, as well as the settlements of Amuka, Mishmar HaYarden, Ayelet HaShahar, and Alma. 

Israeli media outlets reported that rockets impacting the areas in the upper al-Jalil caused wide-ranging fires to break out. It is worth noting that Israeli settlers in these areas are yet to be evacuated by Israeli authorities. 

Tens of thousands rushed to bomb shelters on Saturday noon, while the local council in the area urged Israelis in settlements yet to be evacuated to reduce their movements and stay near bunkers and designated safe areas. Israeli media outlets also pointed out that settlers in the North "are wondering how long this situation will continue, as normal life is currently paralyzed."

On Saturday, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah conducted a series of operations in support of the Palestinian people and in response to Israeli aggressions on Lebanese territories. 

In an initial operation on Saturday, Hezbollah responded to an Israeli aggression on the Lebanese town of Kfour in the al-Nabatiyeh governorate. Israeli occupation forces struck a residential area in the Kfour Valley, which martyred 10 people and injured another five civilians, most of whom are Syrian nationals. 

Hezbollah fired salvos of Grad-type rocket artillery shells at the Ayelet HaShahar settlement in Israeli-occupied northern Palestinian territories. This is the first time that Hezbollah has targeted the settlement since it launched its military support campaign on October 8, 2023.