STORY: Israeli forces, Hezbollah exchange fire as tension along Lebanese border escalates
SHOOTING TIME: Sept. 21, 2024
DATELINE: Sept. 22, 2024
LENGTH: 00:03:46
LOCATION: Beirut
CATEGORY: MILITARY

SHOTLIST:
1. wide of smoke resulting from Israeli shelling on the outskirts of the border village of Kfar Mechki
2. wide of smoke resulting from Israeli air raid on the outskirts of the border village of Yarin
3. wide of Hezbollah firing Katyusha missiles on Israeli posts
4. wide of smoke resulting from Israeli air raid on the outskirts of the border village of Yarin
5. wide of Hezbollah missiles targeting an Israeli maritime vessel
6. wide of Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi presiding over a security meeting
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): BASSAM MAWLAWI, Lebanese Interior Minister
8. wide of Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi presiding over a security meeting

STORYLINE:

Israel launched a series of airstrikes on towns and villages in southern and eastern Lebanon on Saturday afternoon, prompting Hezbollah's retaliatory bombing at northern Israel, according to Lebanese military sources.
   
The sources, who spoke anonymously, told Xinhua that Israeli warplanes carried out about 50 airstrikes in less than half an hour, more intense than previous airstrikes, targeting "Hezbollah sites and the outskirts of dozens of towns and villages in southern and eastern Lebanon."
   
Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced in separate statements that in response to the Israeli airstrikes, the group has attacked several bases and sites in northern Israel.
   
"The Islamic Resistance fighters targeted on Saturday the Northern Command's air defense missile system at Berea Barracks with Katyusha rockets," and "bombed the headquarters for reconnaissance force of Golani Brigade 631 at Ramot Naftali Barracks with a salvo of Katyusha rockets and attacked the Jal al-Alam Israeli site, located between the towns of Alma Al-Shaab and Naqoura, with artillery shells," it said.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic): BASSAM MAWLAWI, Lebanese Interior Minister
"The important thing is that we remain united and ready to confront the crimes that the whole world described as brutal that Lebanon is facing. I like to say on the name of all the members of the Central Security Council that the situation in south Lebanon is very critical, so is the situation in all of Lebanon. Lebanon could be toady facing a fateful stage that needs readiness, vigilance and solidarity. During the last days, weeks and months, a lot of Lebanese civilian innocent martyrs including women and children were killed in security operations and targeting by the Israeli enemy. This drives us more and more to concentrate our intelligence efforts and security actions on the ground, follow thoroughly the movement of foreigners and the hotels operations, watch carefully the movements inside the Syrian and Palestinian refugees' camps, to carefully watch any action that could lead to a security chaos, and leave the people with bad intentions to infiltrate with the help of the enemy our society and create the security chaos."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beirut.
(XHTV)