‘Israel’ closes schools near border with Lebanon after massive Hezbollah attacks

‘Israel’ today announced it will force schools to close in areas in the north along the border with Lebanon, following Hezbollah’s massive rocket and drone barrages today.

The ‘Israeli’ Home Front Command said no educational activities will take place in settlements along the Lebanon border, including Kiryat Shmona, as well as Meron, Bar Yohai, Or HaGanuz, Safsufa, Yesud HaMa’ala, Kisra-Sumei, Beit Jann, and Sde Eliezer.

In the Upper Galilee and northern Golan, education will only be permitted inside a building or in an area where a shelter can be reached in time.

The directives will stay in effect until Monday at 9 PM, when the ‘Israeli’ Home Front Command will conduct another assessment.

War in Lebanon

Lebanon's prime minister accused ‘Israel’ on Saturday of pursuing a "scorched-earth policy" in his country's south, urging a halt to the fighting as ‘Israel’ carried out fresh airstrikes and issued evacuation warnings for more than a dozen locations.

A day after ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces had advanced deeper into Lebanon, his counterpart Nawaf Salam warned the country was facing a "dangerous" escalation, and called for “a swift and real ceasefire”.

In a televised address, Salam accused ‘Israel’ of "pursuing a scorched-earth policy and collective punishment" by "destroying towns and villages, and forcing their inhabitants into exile".

This will bring "neither security nor stability" to ‘Israel’, he said.

Still, he defended his government's engagement with its southern neighbour, after military delegations from both sides held security talks in Washington on Friday, with more US-brokered negotiations planned next week.

Salam said the outcome of the negotiations was "not guaranteed", but called them "the least costly path for our country and our people".

A truce to halt the fighting between ‘Israel’ and Tehran-backed Hezbollah officially took effect on April 17, but has never been observed.

Both ‘Israel’ and Hezbollah accuse each other of violating the ceasefire and justify their attacks by the other's alleged breaches.

A US statement issued after Friday's ‘Israel’-Lebanon talks made no mention of the truce, but said the "productive military-to-military discussions" would inform next week's political meeting.

Hezbollah vehemently opposes the direct talks.