The Albany Gazette - Israel says will strike Lebanon-Syria border crossing

Israel has carried out strikes across Lebanon and launched a ground invasion in the south since March 2, when Hezbollah entered the war in the Middle East on the side of its backer Iran.

"Due to Hezbollah's use of the Masnaa Crossing for military purposes and smuggling of combat equipment, the (Israeli army) intends to carry out strikes on the crossing in the near future," said the military's Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, urging people to leave the area.

A Lebanese security source at the Masnaa border crossing told AFP they were "currently evacuating the crossing following the Israeli threat".

In Syria, the General Authority for Borders and Customs public relations director, Mazen Aloush, said the crossing, known as Jdeidet Yabous on the Syrian side, was "exclusively for civilian use and is not used for any military purposes".

Aloush added that "in light of the circulating warnings and out of concern for the safety of travellers, traffic through the crossing will be temporarily suspended until any potential risks subside".

An AFP journalist on the Syrian side of the crossing said early Sunday it was empty, with only a few guards remaining.

Masnaa is the main crossing between Lebanon and Syria, making it a vital trade route for both countries and a key land gateway for Lebanon to the rest of the region.

Israel struck the crossing in October 2024, during its previous war with Hezbollah.

The crossing remained closed until Lebanese and Syrian authorities began repair works after a ceasefire the following month.

- Strikes on Tyre -

In a statement, Lebanon's health ministry said a strike on Maaraka, near Tyre, killed five people and wounded one.

In previous statements, the ministry reported that an Israeli strike on Habbush killed at least two girls and wounded 22 people, while a strike on al-Hawsh near the coastal city of Tyre wounded 18, including a child, three women and three paramedics.

The strike on al-Hawsh also damaged a nearby major hospital, according to the ministry.

The director of the Lebanese Italian Hospital told the state-run National News Agency (NNA) that it would "remain open to provide the necessary medical care" despite the damage.

Tens of thousands of people have left Tyre, but around 20,000 remain, including 15,000 displaced from surrounding villages, despite Israeli evacuation warnings covering most of the city and a swathe of the south.

Hours after the attack, the Israeli military struck three buildings in and around Tyre it had warned people to evacuate, according to the NNA.

The NNA also reported strikes across across the country and local media reported that Israeli jets repeatedly broke the sound barrier over several parts of Lebanon, with AFP journalists hearing distant booms in Beirut.

An Israeli strike on a cafe near the Qaraoun lake, on the reaches of the West Bekaa portion of the Litani river, wounded several people according to the NNA.

- 'Unacceptable' attacks -

The Israeli army on Saturday told residents of Kfar Hatta in southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of strikes on the town, causing heavy traffic as people escaped according to videos shared online.

The Israeli military earlier announced on Saturday the death of a soldier who "fell during combat in southern Lebanon", the 11th killed since the army began ground operations in the country.

It also said it struck "more than 140 Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure targets" over the previous two days.

After attacking a bridge in the West Bekaa region in eastern Lebanon on Friday "to prevent the transfer of reinforcements and military equipment", Israel hit it again on Saturday, destroying it completely, the NNA said.

West Bekaa is right above Lebanon's south, where Israeli ground troops have been advancing.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility Saturday for a series of attacks on northern Israeli towns and Israeli troops in southern Lebanese towns near the border, particularly Marun al-Ras, Hula, Ainata and Bayada.

The war has displaced upwards of a million people in Lebanon and killed more than 1,400 people in the country, including 54 medics and three Indonesian UN peacekeepers in the south.

On Saturday, a UN security official told AFP that Israeli forces destroyed 17 surveillance cameras linked to UNIFIL's main headquarters in Naqura.

The UN peacekeeping force has been caught in the crossfire in southern Lebanon since the start of the war, with Hezbollah launching attacks on Israel and its troops, and Israeli forces pushing into border towns.

(F.Allen--TAG)