Smoke billows from southern Lebanon following an Israeli attack as cross-border hostilities continue between Hezbollah and Israeli forces (Photo taken in Marjayoun near the Israeli border on September 23, 2024).
Kalamala Daher | Reuters
Israel has attacked Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and the Iran-backed group attacked military installations in northern Israel on Tuesday, as fears of a full-scale conflict grew after Lebanon suffered its deadliest day in decades.
The Israeli military said it struck dozens of targets overnight, a day after it launched airstrikes against the Hezbollah militant group that Lebanese authorities said killed nearly 500 people and sent tens of thousands fleeing.
Hezbollah said it attacked multiple Israeli military targets overnight, including an explosives factory 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Israel, hitting the plant with Fadi rockets at around 4 a.m. (0100 GMT) . It also allegedly struck Megiddo Airport near the northern Israeli town of Afula three times during the night.
After nearly a year of war with Hamas Gaza israel on its southern border Shift focus To the northern border, Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, which is also backed by Iran.
Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Naguib Mikati will fly to New York, where the United Nations General Assembly is hosting the United Nations, “for further contacts” after a wave of Israeli attacks on Lebanon escalated on Monday, his office said.
The fighting has stoked fears that the United States, Israel's close ally and regional power Iran will be drawn into a wider war. organize.
These attacks put tremendous pressure on Hezbollah.
The operation is widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, but Israel has not confirmed or denied responsibility.
Israel's intelligence and technological prowess give it a strong advantage in Lebanon and Gaza. It tracked down and assassinated senior Hezbollah commanders and Hamas leaders.
The Middle East risks being dragged into a wider conflict from which no country will benefit, a statement issued after the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven leading democracies met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
In addition to the devastating war in Gaza that shows no sign of abating, an all-out war could destabilize the entire Middle East.
Potential options for Israel could include an invasion of southern Lebanon and further expansion of air strikes to target Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut or Lebanese infrastructure, including bridges and highways that were blown up in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
Lebanon cannot afford such devastation as it is still suffering from a catastrophic financial collapse that its leaders have allowed to worsen for five years.
powerful enemy
Despite suffering a major blow, Hezbollah For Israel, this could be a more formidable enemy than Hamas in a ground invasion.
Created by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982 to counter Israel's invasion of Lebanon, it has extensive experience, discipline and better weapons than its Palestinian allies.
But Israel faces growing public pressure to secure its northern border and safely return its residents – a top priority in the war.
A senior source familiar with Hezbollah's thinking said the group is in an unprecedented phase of confrontation and Israel is acting as if it is trying to push Hezbollah over the edge. Hezbollah says it does not want a wider war.
The Israeli military said it attacked a Hezbollah militant group and its artillery and tanks struck other Hezbollah targets in the south. Police in northern Israel said fragments of interceptor missiles were found in several areas.
The Gaza war broke out last October and hostilities lasted for nearly a year before Israel warned the Lebanese people to evacuate areas where the armed movement allegedly stored weapons.
Families from southern Lebanon loaded cars, vans and trucks with belongings and people of all ages. The northern highway is jammed.
Nasser Yassin, the Lebanese minister coordinating crisis response, told Reuters that 89 temporary shelters had been set up in schools and other facilities to accommodate more than 26,000 people as civilians fled what he called “Israeli atrocities.” ”.
The Israeli military said it carried out attacks on Hezbollah in southern, eastern and northern Lebanon on Monday, including rocket launchers, command posts and armed infrastructure. The Israeli air force struck approximately 1,600 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said at least 492 people died, including 35 children, and 1,645 others were injured. A Lebanese official said it was the highest daily death toll from violence in Lebanon since the 1975-1990 civil war.