The Israeli occupation army issued an urgent warning to evacuate the Al-Masnaa border crossing area, located on the Lebanese-Syrian border, as a preparatory step for a military strike. The occupation authorities claim that the crossing is used to transport and supply combat means for Hezbollah, considering it the main remaining artery for smuggling after other border axes were targeted earlier.
Al-Masnaa crossing on the Lebanese side, and its counterpart, Jdeidet Yabous crossing on the Syrian side, is the official and most important land passage connecting the capitals Beirut and Damascus. Its strategic importance lies in being a pivotal point for the movement of travelers and cargo trucks, as it is only about 40 kilometers from the Syrian capital and 100 kilometers from the Lebanese capital.
For its part, the Syrian authorities categorically denied the Israeli allegations, affirming that the Jdeidet Yabous crossing is entirely dedicated to civilian and legal purposes. Official sources emphasized the absence of any armed presence or militias in the area, noting that the crossing witnessed a wide movement of displaced Syrian and Lebanese returnees fleeing the shelling since the start of the aggression.
On the ground, medical sources in Lebanon reported the martyrdom of 54 people and the injury of 156 others due to intense Israeli raids in the past twenty-four hours. The aerial attacks focused on towns in western Beqaa and vital bridges in the areas of Machghara and Sahmar, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and raising the total number of victims to 1422 martyrs.
On the other hand, the occupation army admitted the killing of a sergeant from the 'Maglan' unit and the serious injury of another soldier during the ongoing battles in the town of Shebaa in southern Lebanon. Initial investigations indicated that the soldier was killed by friendly fire during fierce clashes, bringing the number of fatalities among Israeli military personnel to 11 soldiers since the beginning of March.
In response, Hezbollah's rocket barrages and drones targeted about 23 settlements and military areas in northern Israel. Sirens sounded in the Galilee and Carmel regions more than 13 times, while material damage was observed in the Kiryat Shmona settlement due to a missile explosion that fell in the area without prior alarm activation.
This escalation comes amid continued aerial bombardment that targeted the Al-Masnaa crossing on previous occasions in October, causing severe damage to the infrastructure of the international road. Observers warn that the complete destruction of the crossing will isolate Lebanon by land from its Arab surroundings, exacerbating the suffering of civilians and hindering the arrival of essential supplies.
The Syrian authorities confirmed that the Jdeidet Yabous crossing is exclusively for civilian passage and is not used for any military purposes or activities outside legal frameworks.
שתף את דעתך
Israeli Threats to Target Al-Masnaa Border Crossing and Escalation of Clashes in Southern Lebanon