Nabi Chit
\nAt least 41 people have been killed and 40 wounded in Israeli air and ground raids on the Lebanese town of Nabi Chit, in the eastern Bekaa Valley, according to the country\u2019s Ministry of Public Health.
\nThere was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has launched numerous deadly attacks and sent ground troops into southern Lebanon, but until now not further north in the east, since the Iran-aligned Lebanese group Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on Monday to avenge the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, joining the war.
\nAccording to Lebanon\u2019s official National News Agency (NNA), an Israeli commando unit \u201cinfiltrated under the cover of darkness\u201d towards a family cemetery in the eastern part of Nabi Chit overnight.
\n\u201cAfter being spotted by resistance fighters and local residents, clashes ensued with the commandos using light and medium weapons,\u201d the agency said, adding that warplanes and helicopters intervened intensively and carried out about 40 raids after the Israeli units were exposed.
\nThe deaths included at least three Lebanese army soldiers and one member of the general security directorate, according to the NNA.
\nThis latest reported raid would be the deepest Israeli forces\u2019 incursion inside Lebanon since special unit troops apprehended Hezbollah operative Imad Amhaz from the northern city of Batroun in November 2024.
\nMeanwhile, clashes have erupted as Israeli forces attempted a landing operation along the Lebanon-Syria border, with the armed group Hezbollah saying its fighters were involved, according to NNA, as this fierce front in the wider regional war launched by the United States and Israel boils over.
\nThe NNA said, \u201cClashes are taking place on the eastern mountain range along the Lebanese-Syrian border \u2026 to repel Israeli landing attempts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Infiltration from the Syrian direction\u2019
\nThe agency gave the location of the incursion as Nabi Chit, in the eastern Baalbek district, where Hezbollah holds sway.
\nHezbollah said in a statement that its fighters had \u201cobserved the infiltration of four Israeli enemy army helicopters from the Syrian direction\u201d.
\nAfter landing, advancing troops \u201cwere engaged by a group\u201d of Hezbollah fighters as they reached the Nabi Chit cemetery, Hezbollah said, noting the use of light and medium weapons.
\n\u201cThe clash escalated after the enemy force was exposed,\u201d it added, saying the Israeli troops launched intense strikes and began to evacuate.
\nA separate statement said Hezbollah fighters had fired rockets as the Israeli forces withdrew.
\nFighters \u201ctargeted the evacuation zone in the outskirts of the town of Nabi Chit with rocket fire\u201d, the group said.
\nFootage shared on social media showed waves of gunfire in the air.
\nNabi Chit was the target of at least 13 Israeli air strikes on Friday, according to the NNA, with the Lebanese Health Ministry reporting at least nine people killed.
\nIsrael\u2019s military said on Saturday it had carried out an operation in Lebanon to find remains of airman Ron Arad, but failed to uncover any trace of the navigator missing since 1986.
\n\u201cAs part of IDF activities in Lebanon, IDF special forces operated overnight in an attempt to locate findings related to the missing navigator Ron Arad. No IDF injuries were reported,\u201d the army said in a statement, using the abbreviation for its official name.
\n\u201cNo findings related to him were located at the search site.\u201d
\nHezbollah on Saturday told residents of a northern Israeli city close to the border with Lebanon to evacuate and head south.
\n\u201cWarning. All residents of Kiryat Shmona are asked to evacuate immediately. Head south,\u201d it said in a statement.
\nSeparately, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that his country would pay a \u201cvery heavy price\u201d if it fails to disarm Hezbollah.
\nKatz said in a statement broadcast on Israeli television on Saturday that if \u201cthe choice becomes protecting our civilians and the safety of our soldiers or Lebanon, we will choose to defend our civilians and our soldiers, and the government of Lebanon and Lebanon will pay a very heavy price\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nabi Chit At least 41 people have been killed and 40 wounded in Israeli air and ground raids on the Lebanese town of Nabi Chit, in the eastern Bekaa Valley, according to the country\u2019s Ministry of Public Health. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has launched numerous deadly attacks and sent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":535424,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-535406","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n