Israeli defence minister says Hezbollah will ‘pay an increasing price’ as group vows retaliation over device attacks.
Israel escalated its attacks on southern Lebanon, launching hundreds of airstrikes in fear of further widening of the conflict in the area.
Israeli warplanes on Thursday struck the towns of Mahmoudieh, Ksar al-Aroush and Birket Jabbour in the Jezzine region, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
Three unidentified Lebanese security sources said the bombardment was one of the most intense since the start of the war in Gaza in October, when Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah started trading cross-border fire.
The Israeli military said its air force had struck some 100 rocket-launchers and other infrastructure. It was not known at this time if there were casualties.
In His Words Israeli Defence Minister
Speaking in a Thursday briefing, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Hezbollah will “pay an increasing price” as Tel Aviv moves to make conditions near its border with Lebanon safe enough for residents who have fled the cross-border attacks return.
“The sequence of our military actions will continue,” he said.
Speaking earlier in the day on Thursday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah described attempts to hit pager and walkie-talkie techniques against its members in Lebanon and Syria this week as having crossed “all red lines,” and the group vowed to respond.
Israeli leaders have stepped up warnings of the prospect of a wider military campaign against Hezbollah, saying they are committed to ending the group’s fire so tens of thousands of Israelis can return to homes near the border.
Speaking publicly for the first time since Tuesday and Wednesday blasts that killed 37, wounded almost 3,000, in two days, Nasrallah acknowledged an unprecedented blow from the Hezbollah end.
He went further to say that it will continue operations against Israel “until the aggression on Gaza stops.”.
Hamas welcomed Hezbollah’s solidarity and Nasrallah’s position, calling it “a clear-cut rejection of the Israeli plans to undermine the support front of our people and resistance in the Gaza Strip”.
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Israel made no response to the reports of explosions within the device.
White House Spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas would “lower the temperature” in the region. At the same time, she stated that the US is “unwavering” in opposition against any threats from Iran or its proxies.
A letter from the Lebanese mission to the United Nations, which was made available to Reuters, cited a preliminary investigation by Lebanese authorities that concluded the devices had been introduced with explosives before they reached Lebanon.
The letter added the devices, which constituted pagers and hand radios, detonated from electronic messages, as cited by the sources submitting a letter to the UN Security Council.
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Hezbollah and Israel have been embroiled in a mainly low-intensity conflict since Israel launched a campaign of assault on Gaza on October 7, which has resulted in over 41,000 deaths among Palestinians.
Late July, Israel had killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut, hours later Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, sending fears for an escalation.
Final Words:
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continues to escalate, with both sides exchanging heavy fire following device attacks in Lebanon.
As Israel intensifies its strikes, Hezbollah vows retaliation, raising fears of a broader regional conflict. International calls for de-escalation persist, but the situation remains volatile as tensions between the two adversaries show no sign of abating.