An anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon killed a young man from Thailand in northern Israel early Friday, a day after Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed dozens of people in Beirut and wounded two U.N. peacekeepers.
At least 22 people were killed and 117 injured in Israeli airstrikes that hit two areas in central Beirut, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
In southern Lebanon, the UN peacekeeping force said an Israeli tank fired at its headquarters in the town of Naqoura, hitting a watchtower and wounding two peacekeepers, who were hospitalized.
More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to local health authorities. They did not say how many fighters there were, but said women and children made up more than half of the fatalities. The war has destroyed large parts of Gaza and displaced approximately 90% of the population of 2.3 million people, often several times.
A year ago, Hamas-led militants blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed into army bases and farming communities, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping another 250. They still hold about 100 prisoners in Gaza, a third of whom are believed dead.
Israel is now at war with Hamas in Gaza its ally Hezbollah in Lebanonwhich began firing rockets into Israel on October 8, 2023.
___
Here’s the latest:
Thai worker killed in Israel by rocket from Lebanon
JERUSALEM – An anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon killed a young man from Thailand in northern Israel early Friday, Israel’s paramedic service said.
Magen David Adom, the paramedic, said the 27-year-old was killed by a rocket that struck farmland.
Israeli media reported that the murdered man was a foreign worker on a kibbutz, a communal farm, in the north. Israel employs many foreigners, especially from Thailand, on farms.
The Israeli military said anti-tank fire from Lebanon wounded two other civilians on Friday. Hezbollah claimed one rocket attack on a military position in the north on Friday morning.
Hezbollah and other militants in Lebanon have exchanged fire with Israel over the past year. Israel recently escalated bombings in Lebanon and invaded a strip within the Lebanese border, vowing to drive out Hezbollah fighters.
Friday’s strike was one of the first civilian deaths in Israel since the escalation began in late September. Two Israelis were killed by rocket debris on Wednesday. On the Lebanese side, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,400 people in the past three weeks, including fighters, civilians and medical personnel.
Turkey condemns the Israeli attack that injured UN peacekeepers
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey condemned Israel’s attack on United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, characterizing it as “an expression of its perception that its crimes remain unpunished.”
The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said in a statement on Thursday that its headquarters and positions have been “repeatedly hit” by Israeli forces. Two UNIFIL troops were injured in the attacks.
The Israeli army acknowledged Thursday that it had opened fire on a UN base in southern Lebanon and said it had ordered peacekeepers to “remain in protected areas.”
“The international community is obliged to ensure Israel’s compliance with international law,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement released late Thursday. “We will continue to support all initiatives within the framework of international law to promote peace in the region.
Turkey is contributing to the UNIFIL Maritime Task Force with a corvette and five men, the ministry said.
