BEIRUT. The Lebanese Hezbollah group launched over 200 rockets at various military bases in Israel on Thursday, in retaliation for a strike that killed one of its senior commanders.
The Iran-backed militant group’s attack is one of the largest in the prolonged skirmishes along the Lebanon-Israel border, which have seen heightened tensions in recent weeks. The Israeli military reported “numerous projectiles and suspicious aerial targets” entering its territory from Lebanon, many of which were intercepted. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The Israeli military stated that approximately 200 “projectiles” were launched toward the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, and over 20 drones were sent into Israeli territory, though several were intercepted.
In response to Hezbollah’s assault, Israel struck various locations in southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah’s “military structures” in the southern border towns of Ramyeh and Houla. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli drone strike in Houla killed at least one person. Additionally, Israeli jets broke the sound barrier over the Lebanese capital and other regions of the country.
Hezbollah launched a barrage of Katyusha and Falaq rockets with heavy warheads into northern Israel and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, followed by more rocket attacks on Thursday, including exploding drones sent to several bases.
Hashem Safieddine, head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, pledged that the group would continue its retaliatory attacks, “targeting new sites they never imagined would be hit.”
“The enemy sometimes acknowledges these hits and sometimes does not, but it is certain that there have been many casualties,” Safieddine stated during the funeral of the slain commander.
The senior commander, who was a pivotal figure for Hezbollah, had participated in battles in Syria and Iraq from 2011 to 2016 and fought in the 2006 war with Israel. He is one of three senior Hezbollah commanders killed recently.
The U.S. and France are actively working to prevent the conflict from escalating into a full-scale war, fearing regional spillover. Initially, Washington aimed for calm along the Lebanon-Israel border independent of the Gaza conflict. However, U.S. diplomatic efforts now suggest that a cease-fire in Gaza could lead to calm in Lebanon and northern Israel.
The ongoing conflict began shortly after the outbreak of the war in Gaza, with Hezbollah claiming solidarity with Hamas, another Iran-aligned group responsible for the Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel. Hezbollah’s leadership has stated they will halt attacks once a cease-fire is reached in Gaza, expressing readiness for war while not desiring one.
Israeli officials, on the other hand, have indicated the possibility of declaring war on Lebanon if diplomatic solutions fail.
The fighting has resulted in the displacement of tens of thousands on both sides of the border. Northern Israel has seen the deaths of 16 soldiers and 11 civilians, while Lebanon reports over 450 deaths, mostly fighters but also dozens of civilians.
Israel views Hezbollah as its most direct threat, estimating the group has an arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles. The last major conflict between Israel and Hezbollah occurred in 2006, lasting a month and ending in a stalemate.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
