Israel keeps up air and sround attacks in Lebanon

UN peacekeepers warn any escalation could spiral into catastrophic’ regional conflict

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Israel expanded its aerial bombardment in Lebanon, hitting areas in and outside traditional Hezbollah bastions, as the Iran-backed group reported "point-blank range" fighting on Oct 13.

In areas where Hezbollah holds sway, Israeli warplanes hit a 100-year-old mosque in a village near the border on Oct 13, Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) said.

On Oct 12, a marketplace in the southern city of Nabatiyeh was targeted. There were also deadly strikes on a Shi'ite Muslim village in a mostly Christian mountain area and another in north Lebanon, the Health Ministry said.

AFP footage from the northern Deir Billa area showed rescuers and villagers digging through debris with their bare hands.

In Kfar Tibnit, the NNA said a strike destroyed a mosque. "It was a significant place because families used to gather in the square right next to it on special occasions," Mayor Fuad Yassin told AFP, adding that the mosque was at least 100 years old.

The Health Ministry said strikes on three villages on Oct 12 killed 15 people.

The Lebanese Red Cross said paramedics were lightly injured and ambulances were destroyed in Sirbin when a house was hit by a second air strike as they searched for casualties.

Israel has alleged that militants use civilian infrastructure in Lebanon and Gaza to conduct operations - a claim the groups have denied. The Israeli military said its 36th division continued "targeted and limited operational activity" against Hezbollah.