By Amina Ismail and Ahmed Tolba
BEIRUT/CAIRO (Reuters) – Hezbollah said on Sunday it was fighting Israeli forces who tried to infiltrate the village of Ramiya in southern Lebanon as a third U.N. peacekeeper was wounded during Israel's escalating conflict with the Iran-backed Lebanese group.
Israeli attacks have rocked the peacekeepers' main base in southern Lebanon, prompting UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Western countries to condemn the attacks. The UNIFIL force called it a “serious development” and said the safety of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed.
France summoned the Israeli ambassador and issued a statement in which Italy and Spain called such attacks “unjustified.” US President Joe Biden said he asked Israel not to hit UNIFIL forces. Russia said it was “indignant” and demanded that Israel refrain from “hostile actions” against peacekeepers.
Israeli military strikes on Gaza on Saturday killed at least 29 Palestinians, doctors said, and troops continued to push deeper into the Jabalia area, where international aid agencies say thousands of people are trapped.
Residents of Jabalia, in the north of the enclave and the largest of the historic refugee camps, said it was being bombarded by Israeli forces from the air and on the ground.
The Israel Defense Force (IDF) said Hezbollah fired nearly 320 projectiles from Lebanon into Israel on Saturday, without providing further details. It declared areas around some cities in northern Israel closed to the public.
Evacuation orders were issued for residents of 23 southern Lebanese villages to move north of the Awali River, which flows into the Mediterranean Sea from the western Bekaa Valley.
The military said evacuations were necessary for the safety of residents due to increased Hezbollah activity, claiming the group is using locations to hide weapons and launch attacks on Israel. Hezbollah denies that it is hiding weapons among civilians.
The Israeli military also issued new evacuation orders on Saturday for two neighborhoods on the northern edge of Gaza City, saying it was a “dangerous combat zone.” In a statement, Gaza's Hamas-led Interior Ministry urged residents not to move.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants erupted a year ago when the Iran-backed group began launching rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas at the start of the Gaza war.
Israel has stepped up its military operations in recent weeks, bombing southern Lebanon, Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley, killing many of Hezbollah's top leaders and sending ground troops across the border. For its part, Hezbollah has fired rockets deeper into Israel.
According to the Lebanese government, more than 1.2 million people have been displaced by the extensive Israeli operation. According to the Lebanese government, more than 2,100 people have been killed and 10,000 injured in more than a year of fighting. The toll makes no distinction between civilians and combatants, but includes dozens of women and children.
US CALLS FOR 'DIPLOMATIC PATH'
The Middle East remains on high alert for further escalation, awaiting Israel's response to an Iranian rocket barrage on October 1, which was in retaliation for the Israeli killing of Hezbollah leader Syed Hassan Nasrallah in the Iranian capital Tehran.
In a sign of a spreading conflict, a Syrian security source said the US-led coalition in Syria targeted Iran-linked sites near Deir el-Zor airport in northeastern Syria on Friday evening.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Saturday that a third peacekeeper was wounded in an Israeli attack when he was hit by gunfire on Friday, adding that the man was stable after undergoing surgery to remove the bullet.
The UNIFIL statement also said its position in the southern Lebanese town of Ramyah suffered significant damage from explosions following nearby shelling, but did not specify who was responsible for either attack.
Two UN peacekeepers were injured on Friday by an Israeli attack near their watchtower at UNIFIL's main base in Naqoura in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL has more than 10,000 employees, with Italy, France, Malaysia, Indonesia and India among the largest contributors.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a telephone conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, expressed “deep concern” over reports that Israeli forces had fired on UN peacekeeping positions in Lebanon in recent days and urged Israel to to ensure security for them and the Lebanese army. the Pentagon said.
Austin also “reinforces the need to transition from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic path as quickly as possible,” the Pentagon statement said.
Israel has rejected calls from the United States and other allies for a ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.
(Reporting by Ahmed Tolba, Adam Makary and Hatem Maher in Cairo, James Mackenzie in Jerusalem, Laila Bassam in Beirut; Writing by Michael Perry; Editing by Peter Graff, David Holmes, Daniel Wallis, David Gregorio; Sandra Maler and Kim Coghill)
