BEIRUT: Lebanon on Saturday raised the toll in Israeli strikes on the country's south and east overnight to four killed, with Israel saying it was responding to an attempted Hezbollah attack. Lebanon's health ministry reported four people killed, including an 18-year-old woman, and 32 others wounded, including several women and children, in Israeli strikes on several locations on Friday, particularly in the Nabatieh region.
The raids came after Israel said on Thursday that it had taken control of the strategic Ali Al Taher ridge near south Lebanon's Nabatieh. Hezbollah, which has not claimed any attacks on Israeli targets for weeks, on Saturday condemned the strikes, in its first statement since Israel announced it had captured the Ali Al Taher ridge.
The strikes also came after the International Committee of the Red Cross facilitated the transfer to Lebanon of four people detained by Israel, a day after another person was freed. Hezbollah called Israel's release of the five detainees this week "significant", but said the move "cannot serve as a pretext for overlooking the continuation of aggression, occupation and killing." "Nor can it justify pursuing a course that has proven incapable of protecting Lebanon and its people," Hezbollah added, referring to Lebanon's direct negotiations with Israel. — AFP
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