(Beirut) Israeli bombardments sparked large fires in several regions of southern Lebanon on Saturday, said state media and a rescuer affiliated with the Amal movement, an ally of Hezbollah.
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip more than eight months ago, Lebanese Hezbollah has regularly exchanged fire with the Israeli army, in support of the Palestinian Islamist movement.
In recent weeks, violence has intensified and exchanges of fire have sparked large fires on both sides of the border.
“Israeli artillery shelled the area around Alma al-Shaab with phosphorus, sparking fires in wooded areas, which spread near some homes,” the National News Agency (Ani) said, adding that the flames had also “reached vast olive plantations”.
Lebanese authorities and several international NGOs accuse Israel of using white phosphorus munitions, a substance which ignites on contact with oxygen and can be used as an incendiary weapon.
“Israel deliberately bombs forested areas with phosphorus in order to cause fires,” said Ali Abbas, a rescuer with the Al Risala association, part of the Amal movement, allied to Hezbollah.
According to him, rescuers are struggling to put out the flames, with the Lebanese army not sending helicopters, for fear of being targeted by Israel.
Further east, Ani also reported “fires near the sites of the Lebanese army and the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL)”, on the outskirts of the border town of Mays el-Jabal and near the Blue Line, the demarcation line established by the UN between Lebanon and Israel.
A security source told AFP that the fires had started near army positions, without reaching them directly.
In a statement, UNIFIL reported a forest fire near one of its positions in Houla, adding that it had extinguished it with joint efforts of the Lebanese Army and Civil Defense.
“Several mines exploded as the flames spread” in the same region, Ani said.
More than eight months of violence have left at least 456 dead in Lebanon, including around 90 civilians and nearly 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to an AFP count. On the Israeli side, at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians were killed, according to the authorities.