In response to a rocket attack originating from Lebanon, Israel has initiated a new series of strikes, while militant group Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz have authorized “a second wave of strikes against numerous Hezbollah targets in Lebanon,” as reported by the defence ministry, marking the most significant escalation since the ceasefire on 27 November.
The ministry stated that the attacks were “a response to rocket fire directed at Israel and a continuation of the initial series of strikes carried out earlier in the morning” against southern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that one girl was among five people killed due to an Israeli strike on the southern town of Touline.
Bilal Kachmar, a spokesperson for the Tyre Disaster Management Unit, informed reporters that two individuals were killed and two others wounded when “an Israeli strike targeted an apartment within a residential building in the Al-Raml neighbourhood of Tyre,” a significant coastal city that was attacked for the first time since the ceasefire.
A security source revealed to reporters that a Hezbollah official was the target of the strike in Tyre, though it remains unconfirmed whether he was killed.
Hezbollah’s Denial
According to Israel’s military, six rockets were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel, three of which were intercepted, triggering air raid sirens.
Hezbollah has denied any participation in the rocket fire and dismissed Israel’s claims as “pretexts for its ongoing attacks on Lebanon.”
Despite Hezbollah’s long-standing influence over areas in Lebanon adjacent to Israel, other Lebanese and Palestinian factions have also conducted cross-border assaults.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam cautioned that renewed military actions along the southern border could risk “dragging the country into a new war,” according to his office.
Damage inflicted on a building following an Israeli strike targeting a neighbourhood in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre.
Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi urged for “pressure on Israel to halt the aggression and escalation and to contain the precarious situation along the southern borders.”
Israeli military leaders asserted that they hold the Lebanese government accountable for any hostile fire originating from its territory, irrespective of the perpetrators.
“We cannot permit fire from Lebanon on Galilee communities,” stated Israeli Defence Minister Katz regarding towns and villages in the north, many of which were evacuated after Hezbollah commenced firing at Israel in support of Hamas in October 2023.
“The Lebanese government is responsible for attacks from its territory.”
UN ‘Alarmed’
The United Nations peacekeeping force stationed in southern Lebanon expressed being “alarmed by the potential escalation of violence” following yesterday’s rocket fire.
France, a mediator of the ceasefire, condemned the rocket launch and urged Israel to practice “restraint,” while Jordan called for immediate international measures to “cease the Israeli aggression against Lebanon.”
Hezbollah has historically maintained strongholds in the southern and eastern regions of Lebanon, along with south Beirut, but the ongoing conflict with Israel has dealt the group significant setbacks, leading to a considerable decrease in its power.
The United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon expressed being ‘alarmed by the potential escalation of violence.’
According to the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah is obliged to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River, approximately 30km from the Israeli border, and dismantle any residual military infrastructure in the south.
Israel, on the other hand, is required to pull back its forces beyond the UN-designated Blue Line, which serves as the de facto border, but it has failed to meet two deadlines to do so while continuing to occupy five positions it deems “strategic.”
Throughout the ceasefire, Israel has carried out multiple airstrikes, targeting what it claims are Hezbollah military installations that violate the terms of the agreement.
The Lebanese army has reported dismantling three makeshift rocket batteries in an area north of the Litani.
The Irish Department of Defence confirmed yesterday that Irish peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon are safe.
In a statement, Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris expressed “deep concern regarding the latest escalation in violence and tensions between Israel and Lebanon.”
The Tánaiste stressed that “it is essential for all parties to exercise restraint at this time.”
Hamas Official Killed
This surge of violence occurred shortly after Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza, interrupting a period of relative calm following the ceasefire on 19 January.
Israel recommenced airstrikes on Gaza on Tuesday and has since redeployed troops into areas previously evacuated during the ceasefire.
On Friday, Mr. Katz announced he had commanded the army to “seize more territory in Gaza.”
For further updates on the conflict in the Middle East, click here.
An Israeli airstrike on a tent encampment in southern Gaza resulted in the deaths of senior Hamas political official Salah al-Bardawil and his wife, according to a Hamas source.
Israel maintains that its military actions are essential to compel Hamas to release the remaining hostages, whether they be dead or alive.
Hamas has accused Israel of endangering the hostages amidst renewed bombardments, while many families of the captives have advocated for a new ceasefire, arguing that most of those released alive were freed during periods of truce.
