BEIRUT: In the most recent outbreak of violence in the rapidly escalating border conflict, Lebanon’s Hezbollah launched a massive missile and drone attack against Israel on Thursday and promised to strike other targets in reprisal for the death of a prominent commander.
The dispute between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel was sparked by the Gaza war and has been progressively getting worse for months, increasing worries of a full-scale war that both sides have stated they want to avoid and that diplomats are trying to stop.
For the second day in a row, the sound of sonic booms shook nerves in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon as the most recent violence, which followed the pattern of the previous nine months, unfolded in communities at or near the frontier.
According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, Israeli jets breached the sound barrier over a number of the nation’s regions.
Hezbollah said that in retribution for Israel’s Wednesday assassination of Hezbollah leader Mohammed Nasser in the south, it had fired more than 200 missiles and a swarm of drones at ten Israeli military locations. Among the highest ranking Hezbollah leaders assassinated by Israel in the fighting was Nasser.
Approximately “200 projectiles and over 20 suspicious aerial targets were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory,” according to the Israeli military. Several of them were intercepted by Israeli fighter jets and air defenses.
Speaking at a Beirut celebration honoring Nasser, senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine hinted that his organization might expand its scope of attack. “This series will continue to target new sites that the enemy did not anticipate would be hit,” Safieddine stated. “The series of responses continues in succession.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated on Wednesday that although a diplomatic solution is preferred, Israeli forces are pounding Hezbollah “very hard every day” and that they are prepared to take any necessary measures against the organization.
The battle in Gaza rages
Meanwhile, the core of the tensions has been the Gaza war, which has continued unabated. On Thursday, gunfights, airstrikes, and shelling shook Gaza City for eight days.
According to the military, Israeli forces “destroyed tunnel routes in the area and eliminated dozens of fighters in close-quarters combat with tank fire, as well as in air strikes.”
According to Gaza’s civil defense service, a strike that struck a school in Gaza City resulted in the deaths of at least five persons.
Diplomatic Effort
Leading the diplomatic efforts to reduce the intensity of the conflict has been the United States. According to Hezbollah, as long as Israel carries out its offensive in the Gaza Strip, it will not put an end to hostilities.
Tens of thousands of people have had to escape their homes as a result of the fighting, which has taken a devastating toll on both sides of the line.
In discussions with French officials on Wednesday, Amos Hochstein, a senior US official at the center of diplomacy, talked about American and French efforts to restore calm, according to a White House official.
Referring to the border between the two countries, the official stated, “France and the United States share the goal of resolving the current conflict across the Blue Line by diplomatic means, allowing Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return home with long-term assurances of safety and security.”
