Hezbollah missile barrage deters attempted Israeli incursion at Balida | Israel kills 2 Lebanese soldiers | Diplomatic flurry after Israel fires at UNIFIL again, injuring 2

Intense border clashes took place on Friday between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops still attempting incursions into Lebanese territory. 

Hezbollah said its fighters launched a missile barrage at Israeli troops in Balida, a village which lies immediately to the east of Maroun al-Ras, where Israeli forces had attempted an incursion earlier this week. 

Prior to the missile barrage, which Hezbollah said was launched shortly before 5 pm, footage was circulated in Israeli media of tanks and heavy equipment approaching the village and destroying Lebanese homes. 

Israel had also conducted an airstrike on Mays al-Jabal, a village to the west of Balida, on Thursday.

Hezbollah media spokesperson Mohamed Afif told journalists at a presser held on Friday evening near the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport that “the enemy is still unable to advance by land except in specific cases, despite bringing in more divisions and brigades, including elite forces.” 

Since announcing the launch of its “limited” operations on Lebanon, the Israeli military has summoned at least two additional battalions to the north.

“Its tanks are still positioned in the rear and do not dare to advance,” Afif continued, adding that the resistance was adopting a flexible defense approach as opposed to a fixed local approach, using ambushes, explosive devices and encirclements to inflict the greatest possible losses. 

Afif, who was holding the second presser he convened since Israel began its escalation against Lebanon around a month ago, also responded to speculation around the degree to which Hezbollah’s capacity was depleted by nightly airstrikes on Dahiyeh and daily bombing campaigns on southern and eastern Lebanon, describing the party and its military capacity as “well.” 

Hezbollah sources also spoke to Reuters on Friday, explaining that the party has effectively restructured its leadership following the spate of assassinations carried out by Israel, including the massive air raid on Beirut in which Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah was killed.

Twelve days into their operations, Israeli forces are yet to announce the capture of any of the border areas. 

Hezbollah also targeted Israeli military positions on Friday near Ras al-Naqoura, a border area in the southwest near the primary site where the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are stationed. The UNIFIL announced Friday that two more of their peacekeeping troops had been injured in two explosions which took place next to a UN watchtower. One of the wounded UN soldiers, who was targeted by Israeli forces, is in critical condition, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The peacekeeping force, which has a mandate in the area south of the Litani River under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, also noted that an Israeli Caterpillar caused blast walls belonging to the UN to fall at Labbouneh, to the east of Naqoura. 

Two UNIFIL troops were injured by Israeli fire from a Merkava tank on Thursday, the peacekeeping force said, adding that the Israeli military had deliberately fired at and disabled some of its surveillance equipment. 

Israel had requested that UNIFIL troops withdraw in recent days, yet the peacekeeping force said it intended to remain at its post in the area.

Israel’s military put out a statement claiming it had fired at and struck the peacekeeping force after identifying a threat within 50 meters of the UNIFIL post and that they had requested the withdrawal of UN troops.

Some diplomatic flurry ensued. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said the action could be a war crime., 

“There is no justification in saying that the Israeli armed forces had warned UNIFIL that some bases had to be vacated,” Crosetteo said. "I told the ambassador to tell the Israeli government that the United Nations and Italy cannot take orders from the Israeli government."

He added that the potential withdrawal of UNIFIL troops could be discussed at the UN next week.

France, meanwhile, condemned Israel’s attack on the UN position and summoned the Israeli ambassador, a moderate diplomatic action. For his part, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for an arms embargo against Israel while condemning its attacks against the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, according to Reuters. 

Afif described the international responses as “timid statements of condemnation,” pointing to an incident in which Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan shredded a copy of the UN Charter before the General Assembly earlier this year as an indication of Israel’s impunity.

Comment from the United States was not forthcoming at the time of writing, although the head of the Amal Movement and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reportedly spoke to the US State Department on Friday evening. 

US Ambassador to Beirut Lisa Johnson has also reportedly held meetings with different political actors, telling them to prepare for a “post-Hezbollah” phase, according to Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar.

Two soldiers in the Lebanese military were also killed on Friday and another three were injured in an Israeli attack on a military post in Kafra, the military said in a statement. 

Hezbollah also announced that Islamic Resistance fighters had launched rocket fire on Israeli military positions in the occupied Golan Heights and north of Haifa, as well as at several Israeli settlements in northern Israel on Friday. 

Israeli airstrikes continued uninterruptedly throughout Friday, with several civil defense workers killed at a station in Sur, heavy airstrikes on Beqaa and across the Nabatieh Governorate.