New Israeli airstrikes result in casualties in S. Lebanon: sources

BEIRUT - Israeli drones and warplanes on Tuesday carried out about 30 airstrikes on the Wadi Saluki area in southern Lebanon, resulting in many casualties, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Israeli warplanes fired 40 missiles on the Wadi Saluki while Israeli heavy artillery fired 75 shells, including 35 phosphorus shells.

Israeli artillery also fired 50 shells on 16 towns and villages in other areas in southern Lebanon, the sources said.

They added that some of the rockets, launched from southern Lebanon to northern Israel in retaliation, were intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome air defense systems.

Also on Tuesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for exerting pressure on Israel to stop the escalation in the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon.

"The ceasefire in Gaza is a basis of the solution in the region; if war does not stop in Gaza, it will be like a snowball that expands to all countries in the region," he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Lebanese Council of Ministers.

The Lebanon-Israel border has been witnessing increased tension since Oct 8 when the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel in support of the Hamas attacks on Israel the previous day, prompting Israel to respond by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.

The confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have killed 220 on the Lebanese side, including 158 Hezbollah members and 37 civilians, according to Lebanese security sources.