UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon call for immediate de-escalation

The U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon urged de-escalation on Friday after a significant increase in hostilities along the Lebanese-Israeli border, where Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire for almost a year.

The UNIFIL force has observed "a heavy intensification of hostilities across the Blue Line and throughout its area of operations," spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told Reuters.

"We are concerned about the increased escalation across the Blue Line and urge all parties to immediately de-escalate," he said.

The Blue Line refers to the frontier between Lebanon and Israel.

Late Thursday, Israeli warplanes carried out their most intense strikes on southern Lebanon since the conflict began.

The strikes followed attacks earlier this week that destroyed thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah, killing at least 37 people and wounding thousands more.

Reuters