Israel massively increases military pressure on Hezbollah in Lebanon. In several waves of attacks, fighter planes bombed around 100 rocket launchers belonging to the pro-Iranian militia, which were equipped with around 1,000 launch tubes, the Israeli military announced in the evening. The rocket launchers were prepared for immediate attacks on Israel. Lebanese security circles spoke of one of the heaviest waves of Israeli attacks since the mutual shelling began in October.
The military action increases concerns about a possible Israeli ground offensive in the south of the neighboring country. The Jewish state wants to drive Hezbollah, which Israel denies the right to exist, out of the border region in order to ensure the security of its citizens in the north.
After the heavy air strikes, the Israeli army called on residents of several communities and towns in northern Israel to stay near air raid shelters. Civilians should also stay away from military training areas in the north over the weekend. The military will be carrying out “activities” there, so unauthorized persons are in danger of death. “It is possible that shots and explosions will be heard in nearby towns,” the army said in a statement.
The exact meaning of the order was initially unclear. There is concern in Lebanon that Israel could be preparing a ground offensive in the south of the country. In the event of such an operation, troops would have to be concentrated in the north of Israel. The army will continue to weaken Hezbollah’s infrastructure and capabilities in order to defend the state of Israel, the Israeli army said. According to the information, “terror infrastructure” and a Hezbollah weapons depot in southern Lebanon were also attacked.
More deaths in mutual gunfire
Representatives of the Israeli military wanted to present plans for the northern front to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at security meetings this evening, Israeli media reported. According to military sources, the Times of Israel says the army wants to see the tens of thousands of residents who have fled northern Israel return to their homes, but without escalating the conflict with Hezbollah into a regional war. Israel recently declared the return of residents to the north to be a war aim.
The extensive air strikes followed heavy rocket fire from Lebanon on communities in northern Israel, the Times of Israel reported. Two Israeli soldiers were killed – a 20-year-old soldier and a 43-year-old reservist, according to the army. According to the newspaper report, the reservist was killed by a Hezbollah drone loaded with explosives, and the younger soldier was killed in a Hezbollah attack with two anti-tank missiles. Eight other soldiers were injured, it was reported.
During the mutual firefight, a speech by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah was broadcast on Lebanese television. In it, he referred to the deadly attacks on his militia’s communications equipment, accused Israel of attempted genocide and threatened retaliation. “In two days and within one minute a day, Israel has aimed to kill more than 5,000 people,” he said. “This criminal act is tantamount to a declaration of war.” At least 37 people were killed in the explosions of manipulated pagers and handheld radios on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to authorities. Around 3,000 others were injured.
Hezbollah chief announces retaliation
Israel has not yet publicly claimed responsibility for the attacks. Not only Nasrallah, but also military and intelligence experts see Israel as the mastermind behind the explosions. “In the short term, this is an extraordinary tactical achievement,” Eyal Pinko, a former Israeli intelligence officer, told the Wall Street Journal. “In the long term, this will not bring any military or political success,” he said.
Nasrallah announced that he would continue shelling northern Israel. The “resistance in Lebanon” will not stop its attacks on Israel until the “aggression (of Israel) against Gaza” stops, he said in his televised speech. Israel will only be able to allow people to return to safety in the north if the war in the Gaza Strip is stopped. Hezbollah says it is acting in solidarity with the Islamist Hamas in the coastal region. Both groups are supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose leadership views Israel as its arch enemy.
Report: No agreement in sight in Gaza negotiations
However, negotiations to end the Gaza war, in which the US, Egypt and Qatar are mediating between Israel and Hamas, have been going in circles for months. Senior US officials have now admitted in private conversations that they no longer expect an agreement between Israel and Hamas during US President Joe Biden’s term in office, which ends in January, the Wall Street Journal reported. “An agreement is not imminent,” said one of the US officials. “I’m not sure it will ever happen.”
Israel, meanwhile, wants to use military and diplomatic pressure to ensure that the shelling of the north stops and that Hezbollah withdraws behind the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the border – as stipulated in a UN resolution. After that, around 60,000 people who had to flee the region on the border with Lebanon to other parts of the country for safety will be able to return to their homes. Israel’s Defense Minister Joav Galant announced that Israel would continue its attacks on Hezbollah. “The series of our military actions will continue,” he said. “Over time, Hezbollah will pay a growing price.”
The almost daily mutual shelling has developed into a low-level war. In Lebanon, according to official figures, around 600 people have already been killed, most of them Hezbollah members. In Israel, according to official figures, 48 people were killed in the attacks by the pro-Iranian militia, including soldiers, but also many civilians.. (dpa)
