Hezbollah Claims Responsibility for Attacks on Israeli Positions at Lebanese Border
Hezbollah, the Lebanese political and military organization, has announced that it carried out multiple simultaneous attacks on Israeli positions along the Lebanese border on Saturday. Residents in southern Lebanon reported that these attacks resulted in some of the most intense Israeli strikes witnessed during the weeks of cross-border clashes.
The Israeli army has responded by stating that its warplanes targeted Hezbollah positions in retaliation for an earlier attack from Lebanese territory. The air strikes were accompanied by artillery and tank shelling.
According to a Lebanese source familiar with Hezbollah’s attacks, the group used a powerful missile that had not been previously employed in the conflict. The missile reportedly struck an Israeli position across the border from the villages of Ayta al-Shaab and Rmeich.
These clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been ongoing since October 7, when Hamas, Hezbollah’s Palestinian ally, initiated a war with Israel. This marks the most severe fighting at the border since the 2006 war, although it has mostly remained localized to the border area.
In his first public speech since the start of the Hamas-Israel conflict, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stated that further escalation on the Lebanese front would depend on the events in Gaza and Israeli actions towards Lebanon. He also emphasized that the attacks carried out at the border so far were not the extent of Hezbollah’s response.
The violence has taken a toll on Hezbollah, with nearly 60 fighters killed during the clashes.
Witnesses and security sources in Lebanon have reported some of the most intense Israeli strikes seen thus far. Video footage shared with Reuters by a resident of the Lebanese town of Khiyam showed two thick columns of smoke rising from hills, indicating an Israeli air strike in the area.
Fouad Khreis, a resident of Khiyam, confirmed the intensity of the shelling, stating that both Hezbollah and Israeli forces were heavily involved. He mentioned that four shells fell on the outskirts of Khiyam, causing no injuries.
The Israeli army has claimed that its targets included “terrorist infrastructure, rocket caches, and compounds used by” Hezbollah.
Israel has made it clear that it has no interest in engaging in a conflict on its northern frontier. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning to Hezbollah, cautioning against opening a second front in a war. He stated that such an action would trigger Israeli counter-strikes of “unimaginable” magnitude, which would inflict “devastation” upon Lebanon.
Reporting by Laila Bassam in Beirut and Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Ros Russell
