Hezbollah-Israel Border Clashes: Latest Updates 3/9/2024

On Tuesday, Israeli warplanes targeted the al-Rihan mountain, the border village of Markaba, and the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab in southern Lebanon. Overnight, they also struck the areas around Zebqine, Yater, and Tayrharfa, while the Israeli army shelled border villages using flare bombs.

At dawn, Israeli forces fired heavy machine guns at Ras al-Naqoura and al-Labbouneh.

The day before, an Israeli airstrike killed two people in a car in the southern coastal town of Naqoura, one of whom was a contractor for the United Nations peacekeeping mission near the border. The Israeli military has not commented on the incident.

Since last October, Israel has been exchanging near-daily fire with Hezbollah, which began launching rockets over the border on October 8, following the outbreak of the Gaza war triggered by a deadly Hamas-led attack into southern Israel. Hezbollah has stated it will cease its attacks once a ceasefire agreement is reached to end Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza.

The ongoing hostilities have raised global concerns about the possibility of the conflict escalating into a full-scale war. For months, the United Nations and international governments have been calling for an end to the fighting.

Israel and Hezbollah previously fought a monthlong war in 2006, which ended without a decisive victory for either side. Since the current conflict began on October 8, nearly 600 people have been killed in Lebanon, primarily fighters from Hezbollah and allied groups, but also more than 100 civilians. In northern Israel, 23 soldiers and 26 civilians have died due to strikes from Lebanon. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced on both sides of the border.