LEBANON’S army has fired back at Israeli troops for the first time in a major escalation amid fears of an all-out war in the region.
It comes as Israel has warned people to evacuate 25 more areas of Lebanon – signalling its ground invasion to demolish Hezbollah’s war machine is about to expand.
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Today, the Lebanese army confirmed it had been drawn into the bloody showdown between Hezbollah and Israel for the first time – almost a year into the conflict.
Soldiers fired back at Israeli forces after one of its troops was killed today in an Israeli strike on a military post.
The Lebanese army said: “A soldier was killed after the Israeli enemy targeted an army post in the Bint Jbeil area – in the south, and the personnel at the post responded to the sources of fire.”
Experts have warned casualties among Lebanese forces, rather than Hezbollah, could mark a huge escalation.
Thousands of civilians have already fled the country’s south as the showdown between Hezbollah and Israel intensifies.
So far, ground clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have been confined to a narrow strip along the border.
But Israel has now expanded its no-go zone and told citizens to urgently leave 25 areas – including a major city.
Nabatieh is one of the largest cities in southern Lebanon and is above the UN-declared buffer zone.
It means Israel is likely gearing up to widen its ground operation against Hezbollah and even advance further into the country.
Other communities north of the Litani River have also been told to evacuate.
The river formed the northern edge of the border zone established by the UN Security Council after the 2006 war in a resolution that both sides accuse the other of violating
Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, said: “Hezbollah’s activity forces the IDF to act against it. The IDF does not wish to harm you.
“For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately. Anyone who is near Hezbollah operatives, their facilities or their weapons, puts themselves at risk.”
He warned any house used by Hezbollah for military purposes will be a target.
The Israel Defense Forces yesterday ordered people to leave 24 other villages, and the day before that, 28.
Military chiefs have described the invasion – led by the battle-hardened 98th Division – as “limited, localised and targeted raids”.
The goal is to clear out Hezbollah terror sites to halt rocket attacks which have driven 60,000 from homes in Northern Israel in the last 11 months, Israeli sources said.
But fierce battles have erupted between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah – with eight IDF troops killed yesterday.
Hezbollah today claimed its fighters detonated a roadside bomb when Israeli forces entered the Lebanese border village of Maroun el-Ras, killing and wounding soldiers.
Israel has been hitting areas of Lebanon where the militant group has a strong presence since late September, but has rarely struck in the heart of the capital.
In the last two weeks, Israel has pounded Lebanon – where Hezbollah is based – with missiles, killing more than 1,000 civilians.
An Israeli airstrike on an apartment in central Beirut on Wednesday killed nine people, including seven Hezbollah-affiliated civilian first responders.
The Israeli military said Thursday that it had struck around 200 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including weapons storage facilities and observation posts.
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It said the strikes killed at least 15 Hezbollah fighters.
As fierce fighting and strikes continue to rage in Lebanon, desperate civilians are paying up to £2,500 to flee on yachts.
The first plane evacuating around 180 Brits left Beirut yesterday as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out war.
But terrified civilians are now turning to a more unusual escape route as flights out of Lebanon quickly fill up.
Dozens of people a day are now being evacuated from Dbaye region to Ayia Napa in Cyprus – on private superyachts.
Goldeneye Superyachts owner Karl Debs has earmarked several of his yachts to ferry people to safety as Israel’s bombardment shows no sign of slowing down.
Up to seven yachts are being sent daily, each carrying around seven passengers.
Passengers need a valid passport and papers to enter Cyprus.
Frantic civilians having been forking out between £1,500 and £2,500 travel on the 75ft long yachts.
Yacht broker and captain Karl said: “Clients feel more comfortable on these private yachts rather than ferries.”
The Middle East is now on the brink of all-out war as the region braces for Israeli retaliation for Iran’s ballistic missile barrage of Tuesday.
Furious Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu insisted the terror state had made a “big mistake” after it unleashed 181 missiles.
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