Reuters
Israel expanded its targets in its genocidal war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon on Monday, murdering at least 18 people in an airstrike on the Christian-majority town of Aitou in the north, the Lebanese Red Cross said.
So far the main focus of Israel’s military operations in Lebanon has been in the south, the Bekaa Valley in the east and the suburbs of Beirut.
The strike in Aitou hit a house that had been rented to displaced families, Aitou mayor Joseph Trad told Reuters. In addition to the deaths, four people were injured, the Red Cross said.
The Israeli military claims it had killed Muhammad Kamel Naim, commander of the anti-tank missile unit of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, in a strike in the Nabatieh area of south Lebanon.
The operations come amid tensions between Israel and the U.N. peacekeeping force UNIFIL in south Lebanon, with Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen on Monday repeating a call by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the U.N. troops to leave.
Israel in a state of war with UN Peacekeepers
Israel and the United Nations have been trading accusations over the peacekeepers, as Israel keeps pushing forces through the area in an attempt to wipe out Iran-backed Hezbollah and its military infrastructure while it also battles Hamas in Gaza.
The U.N. said Israeli tanks had burst into its base on Sunday, the latest allegations of Israeli violations against peacekeeping forces.
Israel disputed the U.N. account and Netanyahu said UNIFIL was providing ‘human shields’ for Hezbollah, a false allegation that Hezbollah denies.
Meanwhile, the entire Middle East remains on high alert for Israel to retaliate against Iran for an Oct. 1 barrage of long-range missiles launched in response to Israel’s assaults on Lebanon.
The Pentagon said on Sunday it would send U.S. troops to Israel along with an advanced U.S. anti-missile system.
On Monday, the U.S. embassy in Lebanon strongly encouraged its citizens to leave ‘now’, warning that additional flights laid on by the government to help U.S. citizens leave since Sept. 27 would not continue indefinitely.
UNIFIL has said previous Israeli attacks are limiting its ability to monitor Israeli violations of international law.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that EU member states had taken too long to condemn Israel’s attacks on UNIFIL soldiers, describing them as ‘completely unacceptable’.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged EU members to respond to a request by Madrid and Ireland to suspend the bloc’s free trade agreement with Israel over its attacks in Lebanon and Gaza.
EU countries, led by Italy, France and Spain, have thousands of troops in the 10,000-strong peacekeeping mission.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah resumed a year ago when the militant group began firing rockets at Israeli positions in support of the people of Gaza at the start of the war, and has escalated sharply in recent weeks.
It is condemned and the Jews do not care. They continue the genocide without anyone stopping them! But don’t worry, if they’re done here, they’ll be done with the others too! No one will care about them!