Hezbollah said on Sunday that is fighting Israeli forces trying to enter the village of Ramiya in southern Lebanon after a third UN official was wounded in Israel's escalating conflict with the Iranian-backed Lebanese group, reports "Reuters".
The Israeli strikes rocked the main base of peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon, prompting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Western countries to condemn the attacks. The UNIFIL force called this a "serious development" and said the security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed.
France summoned Israel's ambassador and issued a statement with Italy and Spain calling such attacks "unjustifiable". US President Joe Biden said he was asking Israel not to strike UNIFIL forces. Russia said it was "outraged" and demanded that Israel refrain from "hostile acts" against the peacekeeping forces.
Israeli military strikes on Gaza on Saturday killed at least 29 Palestinians, medics said, as forces continued to push deeper into the Jabalia area, where international aid agencies say thousands of people are trapped.
Residents of Jabalia, in the north of the enclave and the largest of its historic refugee camps, said it had been hit by Israeli forces from the air and on the ground.
The Israeli military said Hezbollah fired nearly 320 projectiles from Lebanon toward Israel on Saturday, without giving further details. He declared areas around some cities in northern Israel closed to the public.
Evacuation orders were issued for residents of 23 southern Lebanese villages to move north of the Awali River, which flows from the western Bekaa Valley into the Mediterranean Sea.
The military said the evacuations were necessary for the safety of residents because of increased Hezbollah activities, claiming the group is using civilian infrastructure to hide weapons and carry out attacks against Israel. Hezbollah denies hiding weapons among civilians.
The Israeli military also issued new evacuation orders on Saturday for two neighborhoods on the northern edge of Gaza City, saying it was a "dangerous combat zone". In a statement, Gaza's Hamas-run interior ministry urged residents not to move.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah fighters erupted a year ago when the Iran-backed group began firing rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas at the start of the Gaza war.
Israel has stepped up military operations in recent weeks, bombing southern Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut and the Bekaa Valley, killing many of Hezbollah's top leaders and sending ground troops across the border. Hezbollah, in turn, fired rockets deeper into Israel.
Israel's expanded operation has displaced more than 1.2 million people, according to Lebanon's government, which says more than 2,100 people have been killed and 10,000 wounded in more than a year of fighting. The government does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, but includes dozens of women and children.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Saturday that a third peacekeeper was injured in an Israeli strike when he was hit by gunfire on Friday, adding that the man was in stable condition after undergoing surgery to remove the bullet.
UNIFIL's statement also said its position in the southern Lebanese city of Ramya suffered significant damage due to explosions following shelling nearby, but did not specify who was responsible for the two attacks.
Two UN peacekeepers were wounded in an Israeli strike near their observation tower at UNIFIL's main base in Nakura in southern Lebanon on Friday. UNIFIL has more than 10,000 personnel, with Italy, France, Malaysia, Indonesia and India among the largest contributors.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, expressed "deep concern" on reports that Israeli forces have fired on UN peacekeeping positions in Lebanon in recent days and called on Israel to ensure safety for them and the Lebanese army, the Pentagon said.
Austin also "reinforced the need to transition from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic path as soon as possible," according to the Pentagon statement.
Israel rejected calls by the United States and other allies for a ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.