Israel had warned US of Lebanon operation: Officials

People check the destruction in Qabatiyah, south of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. Pic/AFP

Israel had warned US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in a call Tuesday that a military operation was going to take place in Lebanon but gave no details, US officials said on Thursday. The day of the call, in an attack widely blamed on Israel, thousands of pagers belonging to Hezbollah militants exploded.

The call was one of four between Austin and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant this week as attacks have spiked between Israel and Hezbollah.

The two spoke again later Tuesday, and the US has acknowledged being briefed following the attack. There was another call Wednesday, and they also spoke Sunday, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, to discuss private talks.

Officials said the US didn't get an advance warning of the second wave of attacks, targeting walkie-talkies.

‘Lifeless bodies thrown down'

Israeli soldiers pushed three apparently lifeless bodies from rooftops during a raid in the northern part of the occupied West Bank on Thursday, according to an Associated Press journalist at the scene and video obtained by AP.

An AP journalist in the town of Qabatiya witnessed three soldiers push the bodies off the roofs of adjacent multi-story buildings, sending them falling out of view. It was the latest in a series of suspected violations by Israeli forces since the start of the Israel-Hamas war that rights groups say show a pattern of excessive force toward Palestinians.

Israel strikes more Hezbollah sites

Israel Air Force fighter jets Thursday night attacked about 30 rocket launchers and military infrastructures of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in Lebanon, which contained about 150 launch canisters (each rocket launcher has multiple such canisters) intended for immediate launch towards the territory of Israel. In addition, military buildings were attacked alongside the organization's munitions warehouse in several areas in southern Lebanon.

IDF warns residents in border region

The IDF has issued on Thursday night direct instructions to residents in northern Israel for the first time since the war began, bypassing the usual channel of local authorities. Following an updated situation assessment, residents of Merom Galil, Upper Galilee, Mevo'ot Hermon, Yesod HaMa'ala, Hazor, Rosh Pina, Safed, Metula, and northern Golan communities have been advised to limit movements, avoid gatherings, secure village gates, and stay near protected areas.

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