Hezbollah fires rockets at Israeli base, says four fighters killed

Hezbollah announced that it launched “dozens” of rockets at a military base in northern Israel on Thursday, in response to Israeli strikes on Lebanon. The group also reported that four of its fighters were killed in the attacks.

The escalating threats and regular cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah have raised concerns about the possibility of an all-out war, especially since the outbreak of the Gaza Strip conflict following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for bombing “the main air and missile defence base of the (Israeli) northern area command… with dozens of Katyusha rockets” in retaliation for “the enemy attacks that targeted the city of Nabatiyeh and village of Sohmor.” The group also reported two additional attacks on Israeli troops and positions, including one involving drones.

The Israeli military confirmed that “approximately 35 launches were identified crossing from Lebanon,” but stated that air defences “successfully intercepted most of the launches. No injuries were reported.” They also reported that air strikes “eliminated” three Hezbollah operatives and that two drones from Lebanon fell in northern Israel without causing injuries.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported Israeli attacks in several areas of south Lebanon on Thursday and a strike in Nabatiyeh the previous day that wounded “more than 20” people when a two-storey building was targeted.

Concerns are growing that the Gaza war could escalate into a regional conflict if the Israel-Hezbollah confrontation, which has been primarily limited to the border area, expands further. France expressed its “extreme concern” about the fighting and called for restraint from all parties involved.

Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, during a visit to Washington, stated that while Israel does not want war in Lebanon, it could send the country back to the “Stone Age” if diplomacy fails. German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, during a visit to Beirut, cautioned against “miscalculation” that could trigger an all-out war and urged “extreme restraint.”

The violence has claimed the lives of 485 people in Lebanon, including 94 civilians. On the Israeli side, at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed, as reported by authorities.

Source » msn.com