Israel warns of strike on Lebanon-Syria border crossing as attacks continue

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BEIRUT: The Israeli military on Saturday (Apr 4) warned it would strike an area near the main crossing between Syria and Lebanon, urging residents to evacuate immediately as it continued attacks across the country.

Israel has carried out strikes across Lebanon and launched a ground invasion in the south since Mar 2, when Hezbollah entered the war in the Middle East on the side of its backer Iran.

"Due to Hezbollah's use of the Masnaa Crossing for military purposes and smuggling of combat equipment, the Israeli army intends to carry out strikes on the crossing in the near future," said the military's Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, on X.

A Lebanese security source at the crossing told AFP they were "currently evacuating" following the Israeli threat. Syrian authorities said the crossing was "exclusively for civilian use" and temporarily suspended traffic out of concern for traveller safety. The Masnaa crossing is Lebanon's main land gateway to the rest of the region and a vital trade route for both countries.

STRIKES KILL AND WOUND DOZENS

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Lebanon's health ministry said a strike on Maaraka, near the coastal city of Tyre, killed five people and wounded one. Earlier strikes on Habbush killed at least two girls and wounded 22, while a strike on al-Hawsh wounded 18 people including a child, three women and three paramedics, and damaged a nearby hospital. The director of the Lebanese Italian Hospital said it would "remain open to provide the necessary medical care" despite the damage.

Tens of thousands of people have fled Tyre, but around 20,000 remain, including 15,000 displaced from surrounding villages, despite Israeli evacuation warnings covering most of the city.

BROADER CAMPAIGN CONTINUES

The Israeli military announced the death of a soldier killed during combat in southern Lebanon, the 11th since ground operations began, and said it had struck "more than 140 Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure targets" over the previous two days.

The war has displaced more than one million people in Lebanon and killed over 1,400, including 54 medics and three Indonesian UN peacekeepers. The UN peacekeeping force said three more peacekeepers were wounded in a blast inside a UN facility near Odaisse, prompting Indonesia to slam the incident as "unacceptable." Israeli forces also destroyed 17 surveillance cameras linked to UNIFIL's main headquarters in Naqura, a UN security official told AFP.

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