Lebanese-Israeli Border Tensions Rise, Thousands Of Residents Evacuate

Illustration of war (between)

JAKARTA - Thousands of residents in the city of Kafr Shuba in southern Lebanon fled and took refuge elsewhere. This is due to continuous fighting along the Lebanese-Israeli border, according to an official.

"About 70 percent of residents have fled their homes in the city," Qassem al-Qadiri Mayor told Anadolu.

Tensions have grown along the border since the conflict erupted on October 7 in the Gaza Strip with a shootout between Hezbollah and Israeli forces.

Qadiri estimates that the total population in his city will reach 3,000.

"Most of the city's residents have fled to safe places amid the fighting," he said.

The border clash this time became the deadliest since Hezbollah and Israel were involved in a full-scale war in 2006, when the Lebanese group attacked Israeli cities with rockets that caused significant damage.

More than a thousand Lebanese were killed in the war while most of Lebanon's southern region, which is the base of Hezbollah, was destroyed by Israeli attacks.

The Israeli army ordered the evacuation of Kiryat Shmona on Friday, near the border with Lebanon, the city has a population of 22,000, although most have fled.

Meanwhile, Kafr Shuba in the north, the mainland is higher than Sheeba Farms, which is recognized as Lebanon's.

Located strategically on the Syrian and Israeli borders of southeastern Lebanon, Shebaa Farms covers 13 farms. Twelve are spread over an area of 25 square kilometers (19 square miles) under Israeli occupation, and one of them is within Lebanese borders.

Tensions at the border emerged as Israel continued to carry out bombings on the Gaza Strip following cross-border attacks by Hamas in Israeli border cities on October 7, putting 2.3 million people in the region under siege and a total blockade of food, fuel and supplies of medicine.

A total of 4,137 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Palestinian bags, while the figure touched 1,400 on the Israeli side.