The Lebanese military would always seek to cooperate with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, while also taking necessary measures to ensure security of its southern border and constant readiness to counter any threat or aggression, Sleem stated during the meeting with his Italian counterpart, Guido Crosetto.
Earlier in the day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that its tanks and military aviation carried out strikes on positions of the Palestinian militant group Hamas along the border with the Gaza Strip and its infrastructure in southern Lebanon. The strikes were conducted in response to the missile attacks conducted against Israel from the Lebanese territory earlier in the week, according to the IDF.
On Thursday, Israeli media reported that dozens of missiles had been fired from Lebanon, targeting border towns and cities located in the northern and western Galilee region. The IDF said that 34 missiles had been fired from Lebanon, 23 of them intercepted by the air defense systems. The Israeli military accused Palestinian groups of being behind the attack, which comes a day after Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, one of Islam’s holiest sites, clashing with Palestinians and arresting hundreds.