ജറുസലേം: പശ്ചിമേഷ്യയില്‍ വീണ്ടും ഇസ്രായേലും ഹിസ്ബുള്ളയും നേര്‍ക്കു നേര്‍ വരികയാണ്. എഴ് വര്‍ഷത്തോളം നീണ്ട ഇടവേളക്ക് ശേഷമാണ് ആക്രമണ പ്രത്യാക്രമണവുമായി നിരന്തര ശത്രുക്കള്‍ രംഗത്തെത്തിയത്. ലെബനന്‍ കേന്ദ്രീകരിച്ച് പ്രവര്‍ത്തിക്കുന്ന ഇറാന്‍ അനുകൂല ഷിയാ തീവ്രവാദ സംഘമായ ഹിസ്ബുള്ള തെക്കന്‍ ലെബനില്‍ നിന്നും ഇസ്രായേല്‍ സൈനിക താവളങ്ങളിലേക്ക് ടാങ്ക് വേധ മിസൈലുകള്‍ പ്രയോഗിച്ചു. പിന്നാലെ ഹെലികോപ്റ്ററുകളും പീരങ്കികളുമുപയോഗിച്ച് ഇസ്രായേല്‍ തിരിച്ചടിച്ചു.
ഹിസ്ബുള്ളയുടെ ആക്രമണം സ്ഥിരീകരിച്ച ഇസ്രായേല്‍ സൈന്യം പക്ഷെ സൈനികര്‍ മരിച്ചെന്ന വാര്‍ത്തകള്‍ നിഷേധിച്ചു. ആക്രമണത്തില്‍ ഒരു സൈനിക ആംബുലന്‍സ് മാത്രമാണ് തകര്‍ന്നതെന്നും ആളപായമില്ലെന്നും ഇസ്രായേലി സൈനിക വൃത്തങ്ങള്‍ പറയുന്നു. ആക്രമണത്തിന് മറുപടിയായി നൂറോളം ഷെല്ലുകള്‍ ഹിസ്ബുള്ളാ കേന്ദ്രങ്ങളില്‍ പ്രയോഗിച്ചതായി സൈനിക വക്താവ് ലഫ്റ്റനന്‍റ് കേണൽ ജോനാഥൻ കോൺറിക്കസ് വ്യക്തമാക്കി.
അതേ സമയം ഷെല്ലിംഗ് നടത്തിയ മേഖലയില്‍ ഇസ്രായേലിന്‍റെ ടാങ്ക് തകര്‍ത്തതായി ഹിസ്ബുള്ള അവകാശപ്പെട്ടു. ടാങ്കിനുള്ളിലുണ്ടായിരുന്ന ഇസ്രായേലി സൈനികരെ വധിച്ചതായും സംഘടന വ്യക്തമാക്കി. ഈ വാദവും ഇസ്രായേലി സൈന്യം നിഷേധിച്ചു. എല്ലാ സൈനികരും സുരക്ഷിതരാണെന്നും ആര്‍ക്കും ജീവന്‍ നഷ്ടമാകുകയോ പരിക്കേല്‍ക്കുകയോ ചെയ്തിട്ടില്ലെന്നും ഇസ്രായേല്‍ അറിയിച്ചു. ഹിസ്ബുള്ളാ പക്ഷത്ത് ആളപായമുണ്ടായിട്ടുണ്ടോ എന്ന് ഇപ്പോഴും വ്യക്തമല്ല.
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Hezbollah fires rockets into Israel from Lebanon
Hezbollah has launched an attack on Israeli military positions and drawn heavy return fire in the first cross-border clash for years between the longstanding foes.Israel’s military said “two or three anti-tank missiles” had been fired from southern Lebanon toward an army base and a military ambulance but had caused no deaths or injuries..Lt Col Jonathan Conricus, an army spokesman, also said Israel had fired back with approximately 100 artillery shells and that attack helicopters had also struck the area. The exchange “was most likely over”, he said.Hezbollah, the pro-Iran Lebanese militant group, claimed the attack. It said its fighters had destroyed an Israeli army vehicle near the frontier in the same area. It said it had killed and wounded people inside, contradicting Israeli claims.It was not immediately clear if there had been casualties on the Lebanese side.
The Lebanese Shia Muslim militant group Hezbollah has fired several anti-tank rockets into northern Israel in retaliation for a reported Israeli drone attack in Beirut last week.Israeli military sources confirmed rockets had been fired at an Israeli army base and military vehicles.The Israeli army responded by attacking targets in southern Lebanon.Hezbollah sources reported several Israeli casualties, but Israel said no-one had been injured on its side.The Lebanese military earlier said an Israeli drone had entered its airspace and dropped incendiary material on a forest along the border.The Israeli army has acknowledged it started a fire. Tensions on the frontier escalated in recent days.Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, has threatened to carry out an attack against Israel.It accuses Israel of trying to carry out a drone attack in Lebanon's capital Beirut last week.According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), "Hezbollah fired two to three anti-tank missiles from Lebanon, hitting an IDF military outpost and ambulance in northern Israel.""We fired at the Hezbollah squad responsible. No Israelis were injured in the attack," the IDF said in a tweet.Israel said it had responded with artillery and helicopter fire, sending about 100 shells across the border at Hezbollah positions.Radio reports from northern Israel say residents in some border communities have been sheltering in bunkers after suffering sustained rocket attacks.Meanwhile, Hezbollah is quoted by local media as saying the movement destroyed an Israeli tank, killing and injuring those on board.However, it provided no evidence, and its claims were rejected by Israel."At this moment I can make an important announcement: we have no casualties, no-one injured or even scratched," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Military action by Hezbollah had been anticipated, even expected, after a reported attack by Israeli drones on a target in Lebanon's capital Beirut a week ago, reports the BBC's Wyre Davies in Jerusalem.Israel has not confirmed carrying out that attack - but it had warned Hezbollah it would not allow it to develop precision guided missiles in Lebanon with support and parts from Iran.On Saturday night, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel that an attack was inevitable.Speaking in Jerusalem, Mr Netanyahu said Israel was prepared for any scenario.The Hezbollah attack and Israel's response represent the most serious border incident between the two parties in recent years.In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long conflict that killed more than 1,000 civilians, most of them Lebanese.
Television channels in Israel said the army had ordered residents near the border to remain inside and for bomb shelters to be opened.Israeli forces along the frontier have been bracing all week for a possible attack by Hezbollah. The organisation’s leadership accused Israel of attempting to attack it with two drones last Sunday in its stronghold of southern Beirut.Hezbollah’s deputy leader had said his forces would launch a surprise retaliatory strike against Israel. “I rule out that the atmosphere is one of war – it is one of a response to an attack,” Sheikh Naim Qassem said in a TV interview on Tuesday night. “Everything will be decided at its time.”Israel has not claimed the Beirut strikes, but two western diplomats said the rare operation may have been an assassination attempt or an effort to destroy equipment for fitting advanced guidance systems to rudimentary rockets.Israel also said last week it had intelligence that Iran was helping Hezbollah to build guided missiles in Lebanon, something it said it would not tolerate. Guided missiles rather than the imprecise rockets it has used in the past would allow Hezbollah to target vital Israeli infrastructure in any future conflict.
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