Hezbollah attacked Israeli cities, settlements and military posts on Saturday (24). Some of the sites were hit for the first time since the bombings began in the last 10 months.
The hostility came in response to attacks the previous day on several villages in southern Lebanon, where tensions have been rising. Seven fighters from the terrorist group were killed by the Israeli army.
In response, Israel launched a new series of bombings in Lebanon in the early hours of Sunday (25) after identifying that the Shiite group was preparing “a broad attack” against the country.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “identified that the terrorist organization Hezbollah was preparing to fire missiles and rockets at Israeli territory. In response to these threats, the forces are striking terrorist targets in Lebanon,” the Israeli military high command said in a statement.
Hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah continue to escalate
Throughout Saturday, Hezbollah members launched attacks on several positions in northern Israel. One of the targets destroyed by the group was surveillance equipment at the base near Israeli territory.
The strikes targeted the Ramtha and Zebdine regions, the disputed Kafrchouba hills and the Shebaa farmlands, as well as Bayad and Hanita in northern Israel.
Artillery fire, shells and “appropriate weapons” were used. Hezbollah claimed responsibility as “retaliation for the enemy’s aggression on the southern villages.”
Earlier in the day, Hezbollah announced the death of one of its members, 21-year-old Ibrahim Hassan Fadel, known as “Jihad.” No details were released about the cause of death, as has been common since the recent losses of its fighters.
Concerns about the level of violence in the war have been heightened by the death of Hezbollah’s military leader in late July after an Israeli strike in Lebanon, and the assassination of a former Hamas leader in Iran, which has accused Israel of the killing. Hezbollah and Tehran have vowed retaliation.
For Israel, new bombing was an “act of self-defense”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is directing operations from the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, along with Defense Minister Yoav Galant, who has declared a state of military emergency and contacted US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for an update.
The Israeli strategy constitutes an “act of self-defense,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a video message in which he stressed that Israeli forces “are striking terrorist targets in Lebanon, from where Hezbollah planned to launch its attacks against Israeli civilians.”
The pro-Iran Shiite group “will fire rockets and possibly missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles toward Israeli territory,” it warned, calling Hezbollah’s action “an extensive attack on Israel” from areas close to civilian homes in southern Lebanon.
“We warn civilians located in areas where Hezbollah operates to move away from danger immediately for their own safety,” Hagari said.
#Hezbollah #attacks #Israel #responds #bombings