BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on Friday morning near Lebanon’s Masnaa border crossing with Syria cut off a road used by hundreds of thousands of people to flee Israeli bombardments in recent days, Lebanon Transport Minister Ali Hamieh told Reuters. #IsraeliStrikeLebanon
Hamieh said the strike hit inside Lebanese territory near the border crossing, creating a four-meter (12 feet) wide crater.
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) military spokesman had accused Lebanese armed group Hezbollah on Thursday of using the crossing to transport military equipment into Lebanon.
“The IDF will not allow the smuggling of these weapons and will not hesitate to act if forced to do so, as it has done throughout this war,” IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.
Hamieh had said at a press conference on Thursday that the crossing was subject to the authority of the Lebanese state.
According to Lebanese government statistics, over 300,000 people have crossed from Lebanon into Syria in the last 10 days. The vast majority of them are Syrian refugees. They fled to escape the intensifying Israeli bombardment. #IsraeliStrikeLebanon
Moreover, the Israeli strike in Lebanon worsens tensions in the already fragile region. Many residents depended on this route to escape conflict zones. Now, alternative paths are being sought, but options remain limited.
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