Israel-Hezbollah border skirmishes: Latest developments
The Israeli artillery shelled Friday several border towns including Blida, Dhaira, Rashaya al-Fokhar, Kfarshouba, Houla, Markaba, Aitaroun, al-Naqoura, Odeisseh, Maroun al-Ras, Mhaibib, al-Labbouneh, al-Naqoura and Shihine, as Hezbollah announced the death of one of its fighters.
One civilian was injured in Rashaya al-Fokhar.
Hezbollah for its part targeted Misgav Aam, Khirbet Ma'ar, al-Raheb post, and Ruwaisat al-Alam with "appropriate weapons".
At dawn, the Israeli army opened machinegun fire towards Lebanon and targeted with flares and shells open areas in the south, including the outskirts of Dayr Mimas, Kfakela and al-Khiam.
Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, the frontier between Lebanon and Israel has seen intensifying exchanges of fire, mainly between Israel and Hezbollah, but also Palestinian groups, raising fears of a broader conflagration.
More than 110 people have been killed on the Lebanese side, mostly Hezbollah fighters and more than a dozen civilians, according to an AFP tally, since fighting began in October.
On the Israeli side, six soldiers and four civilians have been killed, according to Israeli authorities.
08 December 2023, 21:11
00
Word of the day:
skirmish (n.)
late 14c., scarmuch, "irregular fight, especially between small numbers of soldiers," from Old French escarmouche "skirmish," from Italian scaramuccia, earlier schermugio. This is held to be probably from a Germanic source, with a diminutive or depreciatory suffix (see -ish), from Proto-Germanic *skirmjanan (compare Middle Dutch schermen "protect," Old High German scirmen "to protect, defend," German Schirm "umbrella," originally "leather protection on a shield"), from PIE root *sker- (1) "to cut."
It was influenced in Middle English by a different verb, skirmysshen, "to brandish a weapon," from Anglo-French eskirmiss-, stem of eskirmir "to fence," from Frankish *skirmjan, from the same Germanic source as the other word. An earlier verb in English was skirm (Middle English skirmen), c. 1200, "to fence, fight with a weapon, fight in small parties," from Anglo-French.
