Live Updates: Netanyahu defiant on Philadelphi Corridor as Hezbollah-Israel tensions flare
Netanyahu told the press that the Israeli military would only consider a withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor in the second phase of a cease-fire agreement.
In a press conference on Wednesday Netanyahu emphasized that the Israeli military will not fully withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor in the first phase of a potential cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Hamas has demanded a full withdrawal of the Israeli military from Gaza, including the narrow strip of land bordering Egypt known as the Philadelphi Corridor, in any potential cease-fire deal. But Netanyahu made clear that a full withdrawal from the area would come only during the second phase of a cease-fire deal, though he expressed pessimism that it would eventuate.
Meanwhile, tensions are flaring between Hezbollah and Israel, with Hezbollah claiming it launched a barrage of Katyusha rockets in the occupied Golan Heights late Wednesday. The Lebanese militia group said it targeted Israeli artillery positions.
The strike comes after Hezbollah fired 65 rockets from Lebanon toward Israel earlier Wednesday. The rockets hit a house in the border town of Kiryat Shmona and started several fires. The Israeli military spokesperson said that the country’s missile defense system intercepted several of the rockets while several others fell in open areas.
In response, the Israeli military attacked several Hezbollah targets in the south of Lebanon. Israel’s retaliation killed a woman and wounded five other people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
The incidents on Wednesday mark yet another exchange in a series of near daily hostilities at the Lebanon-Israel border over the past 11 months. Senior Israeli and US officials — including White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer — held an under-wraps meeting to discuss Israel-Hezbollah tensions Tuesday, Axios reported.