Casualties due to Hezbollah operations mounting daily: 'Kiryat Shmona'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
17 Dec 2023 22:04
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The mayor of the Israeli settlement of "Kiryat Shmona" says the casualties in the northern settlements are on a daily uptick due to the operations being carried out by the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon.

Israeli soldiers mourn during the funeral of Israeli soldier Corporal Avraham Fetena in Haifa, northern occupied Palestine, November 17, 2023 (AP)

The mayor of the northern Israeli settlement of "Kiryat Shmona", Avichai Stern, criticized how the Israeli occupation's government is dealing with the increasingly worsening situation on the Lebanese border area with the Islamic Resitance's daily operations.

Speaking to Israeli Channel 13 news, Stern said the North feels that "the destructive containment policy seen prior to October 7 is still ongoing today."

"We are under fire daily and we continue to record injuries daily. Yesterday, a soldier in the reserve brigade was killed; we are recording injuries and fatalities daily," Stern stressed.

The mayor of the northern Israeli settlement added: "The answer must be clear; Hezbollah and Hamas are one and the same. If they decided that to get rid of the threat on the southern border they must destroy Hamas, I do not see why they did not make the same decision for the northern border."

"The only way to remove the threat on the northern border is to destroy Hezbollah; not an agreement or a political solution as is being said," he added.

"Earlier, I saw a senior Hezbollah official say that they had not used all their weapons in al-Jalil. What? Are we waiting for them to use it?" the Israeli official asked as northern occupied Palestine grows more and more dissatisfied with Netanyahu's regime.

"Will we make the same mistake we made in the south on the northern borders? Before Hamas, Hezbollah for years said it wanted to occupy al-Jalil. Will we wait for them to do that? Did we learn nothing from October 7?" the mayor added.

Decision-making in Hezbollah's hands

In a related context, the head of the Israeli occupation Regional Council in Upper al-Jalil, Giora Zaltz, commented on the fact that Islamic Resistance operations continue in the direction of northern occupied Palestine, criticizing the conduct of Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

In an interview for Israeli Radio 103FM, Zaltz said, “We are keeping the keys with (Sayyed Hassan) Nasrallah and not with us, and he does as he sees fit,” referring to the intensity of the operations on the Lebanese-Palestinian border.

Israeli media previously reported that the Israeli occupation authorities evacuated new settlements in northern occupied Palestine, highlighting that these settlements had not been evacuated since 1948.

The confrontations in northern occupied Palestine between Hezbollah and the Israeli forces are proving painful for the settlers of the north, Israeli KAN public broadcaster correspondent Han Biar said on Tuesday.

Life is reportedly becoming more and more difficult due to the evacuations they must oblige with due to the extensive damages dealt to their homes, the Israeli journalist described.

Israeli Channel 13 correspondent, Shlomi Eldar, also emphasized that Israeli settlements such as "Metulla, Shtula, Kiryat Shmona, and others adjacent to the border with Lebanon are within the range of Hezbollah's missiles all the time."

"Hezbollah is present near the border and has stepped up its anti-tank missile attacks," Eldar mentioned, stressing that the attacks against Israeli sites have become "more accurate and dangerous."

Hezbollah operations ongoing

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah conducted four operations on Israeli military targets in the western district, of South Lebanon, on Sunday morning.

At 8:30 AM (local time), Hezbollah fighters targeted an Israeli bunker in the "Birket Risha" military site opposite the Lebanese town of Bustan. The Resistance faction confirmed that Israeli soldiers had taken position in the bunker, prior to the operation which dealt direct hits to its intended targets.

Half an hour later, Resistance fighters targeted an Israeli force in the vicinity of the "Hanita" military site, further to the west side of the Lebanese-Palestinian border. Hezbollah confirmed, in a statement, direct hits.

The next operation targeted an Israeli infantry force entering a camouflaged position to the east of the occupied upper al-Jalil kibbutz of "Sasa". The position targeted is past the Israeli "Dovev" Barracks and is located approximately 3 km away from the Lebanese-Palestinian border.

Forty minutes later, Hezbollah fighters targeted a nearby grouping of Israeli soldiers in woodlands to the east of "Sasa", confirming casualties among members of the force.

Interestingly, all four of the Resistance's operations directly targeted Israeli occupation soldiers, rather than military infrastructure or equipment. The operations come in support of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and its Resistance. These consecutive operations also come after Israeli warplanes launched a strike on the Lebanese village of Houmine, north of the Nabatieh governate, on Saturday night.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that Israeli artillery units targeted the vicinities of the Lebanese towns of Kfar Kila, al-Taybeh, and Blida.

It is worth noting that Hezbollah has been leading operations launched from South Lebanon since October 8, supporting the Palestinian Resistance, which faces an unprecedented ground invasion in the Gaza Strip. The Resistance faction has introduced high-caliber Burkan rockets, attack drones, and anti-tank guided missiles, in their targeting of Israeli occupation forces throughout periods of confrontations.