Beirut, Oct 18 (EFE).- The Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah announced a “new and escalatory phase” against Israel on Friday, “which will have an impact on the development of events in the days to come.”
In a statement released on Friday morning, in which they did not mention the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Hezbollah assessed what it considers to be its achievements in the confrontation with Israel.
According to their details, Israel has deployed five military divisions with more than 70,000 troops in its ground operation in Lebanon.
Hezbollah claimed that in-ground confrontations, it has killed 10 Israeli soldiers and wounded more than 150, primarily in operations near the border towns of Qaouzah and Rab El Thalathine.
They also stated that they have increased missile launches in recent days (claiming a dozen attacks against northern Israel on Wednesday) as well as airstrikes on the border.
Hezbollah said their attacks have resulted in the deaths of 55 Israeli soldiers and injuries to more than 500.
According to the instructions of Hezbollah’s leadership, the group is preparing for “the transition to a new and escalatory phase in the confrontation with the Israeli enemy,” the statement read.
The crossfire between Hezbollah and Israel has entered a new stage since late September when Israel began an unprecedented campaign of intense airstrikes against southern and eastern Lebanon, including Beirut.
In its daily report, the Lebanese Council of Ministers said there had been 96 air strikes on Wednesday, compared with 10,246 military actions carried out by Israel against Lebanon since the start of its conflict with Hezbollah on Oct. 8.
According to the latest statement from the Emergency Health Operations Center under the Ministry of Public Health, 2,412 people have been killed and 11,267 injured in Lebanon, with the majority of the deaths occurring over the past three weeks.
In addition to the bombing campaign, Israel is conducting a ground invasion in the southern part of the country, where a war has forced some 1.2 million people to flee their homes. EFE
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