- Israeli airstrikes kill seven civilians
- Hezbollah fighters, Israeli soldier dead
- Escalation concerns in Lebanon, Israel
According to security sources, at least seven civilians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, following the death of an Israeli soldier by Hezbollah rocket fire.
In Souaneh, an infant and her guardian perished, and in Nabatieh, at least four relatives of the deceased family were subsequently killed.
The group reported that at least two Hezbollah fighters were also killed in attacks in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military stated that in retaliation for a lethal rocket assault on northern Israel, it struck Hezbollah infrastructure.
Along the border, Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces have engaged in nearly daily gunfire since the onset of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian organisation Hamas in the Gaza Strip in October.
The confrontations have sparked concerns regarding the potential escalation of a more extensive regional dispute.
On Wednesday morning, barrages of missiles were directed at the border communities of Netua and Manara, as well as the municipality of Safed, situated 14 kilometres (9 miles) to the south of the border. In response, sirens wailed throughout northern Israel.
According to Israeli media and emergency services, missiles hit their Safed base, injuring seven soldiers and killing one. Later, it was determined that the fallen combatant was Staff Sergeant Omer Sarah Benjo.
Another missile appeared on camera to have landed in the vicinity of the entrance to Safed’s medical facility.
Hezbollah, IDF Exchange Deadly Strikes
Subsequently, Hezbollah asserted that it had targeted an “enemy position” in Safed “in support of the resistance and people of Gaza, which are currently enduring brutal Zionist aggression with the approval of the United States.”
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) declared in the afternoon that in response to the rocket fire, fighter aircraft had “struck a series of Hezbollah terror targets” in Souaneh, Aadchit, Jabal al-Raij, Kfar Houneh, and Kfar Dunin.
“Operational control rooms, military compounds, and terror infrastructure were among the targets that were struck,” the statement continued, adding that a number of the targets belonged to Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, whose highly trained members are regarded as the organisation’s special forces.
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported the death of Syrian mother Rawaa al-Mohammed and her two sons. Hassan Mohsen, 13, and Amir Mohsen, 2, died in an attack on a residence in Souaneh.
Town residents were spotted inspecting at least one wrecked building and a burned vehicle.
Additionally, NNA reported that ten individuals were injured and one man was killed in Aadchit. Hassan Ali Najm, a Hezbollah fighter, was verified dead via Telegram.
A security source told AFP that a second strike killed four family members, including two women, later Wednesday. According to the informant, they had no ties to Hezbollah.
Israel, Hezbollah Tensions Escalate
“Israeli interests do not lie in a dual-front conflict, as we have repeatedly stated. But we will respond forcefully if provoked,” Ilana Stein, a spokesperson for the Israeli government, told Reuters.
“The present circumstances, in which tens of thousands of Israelis are unable to return to their residences after being displaced [in the north], are intolerable. They must be able to return home and establish a secure and tranquil existence.”
In the meantime, the IDF’s chief of staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, addressed the presidents of municipalities in the north: “Hezbollah has accomplished tremendous things in Lebanon, but we will continue to operate; now is not the time to cease.
Constantly escalating the severity of our attacks, Hezbollah is bearing an ever-increasing toll.
On Tuesday, in a speech to Israeli leaders, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah made a prediction. He said that a conflict against the organisation would force a “million evacuees” from northern Israel.
“Those who threaten to escalate the conflict should know that if they do so, we will do the same. He further stated that individuals who believe the resistance is fearful are gravely mistaken.
Furthermore, he declared that Hezbollah would not halt hostilities “until the aggression ceases and a ceasefire is established in Gaza.”
