While the Israeli military began raids into the Gaza Strip on Friday with tank-backed troops, violence along Israel’s border with Lebanon and within the West Bank has also been escalating.
In the West Bank, Israeli security forces killed nine Palestinians and wounded dozens in confrontations on Friday, according to reports from the Palestinian health ministry. The Israeli military has said it is prepared for an escalation in the West Bank and is on high alert.
A map of the West Bank and surrounding region showing many clashes and protest marches across the West Bank, including in the cities of Jenin, Hebron and Ramallah.
Data from the Institute for the Study of War and AEI’s Critical Threats Project, which has been tracking incidents across the region, indicated multiple violent clashes and protest marches across the West Bank on Friday.
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project reported clashes between the Israeli military and armed Palestinian groups, including Palestine Islamic Jihad affiliates, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and Hamas, as well as between Israeli security forces and protesters, which had resulted in several casualties.
Along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, the Israeli military and Lebanese militia Hezbollah have been trading fire in border clashes.
Israeli shelling struck a Lebanese army observation post on Friday, three sources in Lebanon told Reuters. The Israeli military warned of a suspected armed infiltration and said it was responding with artillery fire. Israel later ruled out that any incursion had occurred.
A map of Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, showing a cluster of rocket strikes and violent clashes directly around the border.
On Friday, a Reuters video journalist, Issam Abdallah, was killed and six other journalists injured in southern Lebanon when missiles fired from the direction of Israel struck them, according to a Reuters videographer who was at the scene.
The Israeli army said on Saturday it was investigating.
“We are aware of the incident with the Reuters journalist,” army spokesman Lt Col Richard Hecht told a regular briefing. “We are looking into it. [...] It's a tragic thing,” he said.
Lebanon's Hezbollah on Saturday targeted five Israeli outposts in the disputed Shebaa Farms area on the Lebanese-Israeli border with guided missiles and mortar shells, the militia group said in a statement.
A Reuters witness had earlier reported heavy shelling of Israeli outposts in the area as well as the sound of gunfire. Residents of five northern Israeli villagers were ordered to shelters on Saturday due to a possible armed infiltration from Lebanon, Israel's Kan radio said.
Read more: Mapping the conflict in Israel and Gaza.