The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has intensified its offensive against Israel, launching drone attacks further into Israeli territory than seen since the Gaza war’s inception. The group asserts that the drone and rocket strikes are retaliatory measures for the killing of its members and Lebanese civilians by Israeli forces.
Hezbollah announced that it initiated “a combined air attack using decoy and explosive drones that targeted” Israeli bases situated between the cities of Acre and Nahariyya. The group claimed this action as retribution for an earlier attack by Israel, which resulted in the death of one of its fighters. The organization circulated an image, seemingly of satellite origin, highlighting the attack location with a red circled flash.
Despite these declarations, the Israeli military reported that it had intercepted two “aerial targets” off the northern coast and denied any damage to its facilities by Hezbollah. Nevertheless, the situation on the ground in Lebanon told a different story; the country’s National News Agency (NNA) relayed that an Israeli air raid on a residential area in the southern town of Hanin resulted in the deaths of two people and injuries to six others. NNA detailed that Israeli warplanes demolished a family home with two missiles, with the family reportedly remaining in the town despite ongoing Israeli assaults.“Israeli warplanes struck a two-storey house with two air-to-surface missiles, completely destroying the building which was inhabited by a family that had not left the town since Israeli attacks began,” NNA said.
Subsequently, Hezbollah escalated its response, stating it fired “dozens of Katyusha rockets” at northern Israel, “as part of the response to the Israeli enemy’s attacks on… civilian homes,” alluding to the “horrific massacre in Hanin” as well as additional civilian casualties. The deadly exchanges have substantially increased the death toll on both sides; with about 270 Hezbollah fighters and approximately 50 civilians killed by Israeli attacks, while Hezbollah’s offensives have resulted in about a dozen Israeli soldiers and half as many civilians losing their lives.
These actions follow months of persistent conflict, initiated by Hamas’s attack on October 7, which prompted Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The intermittent fire exchanges across the Israel-Lebanon border have led to the displacement of tens of thousands of residents on both sides, further destabilizing an already volatile region.
Hezbollah’s decision to target deeper into Israeli territory represents a marked escalation, with the drones reaching areas not typically struck in the group’s usual operations. Such an increase in hostilities risks a severe escalation, potentially spiraling into broader conflict. The latest incidents unfold amidst a backdrop of six months of almost daily attacks initiated by Hezbollah, which claims to be supporting Hamas’s earlier actions against Israel.
Relevant articles:
– Hezbollah launches deepest attack into Israel since start of Gaza war, m.jpost.com, 04/24/2024
– Hezbollah launches deepest attack inside Israel since Gaza war began, Al Jazeera English, Tue, 23 Apr 2024 19:55:50 GMT
– Hezbollah Targets Israeli Coast with Drone attack, Long War Journal, Wed, 24 Apr 2024 05:21:54 GMT
– Hezbollah Launches Drone Attack On Israel, NDTV, Wed, 24 Apr 2024 05:39:32 GMT
– Lebanon’s Hezbollah launched ‘dozens’ of rockets at Israel after civilian deaths, Al-Monitor, Tue, 23 Apr 2024 21:00:20 GMT