Hezbollah bombardment

Israel launches massive airstrikes in Lebanon

(Bild: AFP/Ammar Ammar)

Israel stepped up the military pressure on Hezbollah in Lebanon on Thursday. In several waves of attacks, fighter jets bombed around 100 rocket launchers of the pro-Iranian militia, which were equipped with around 1,000 launchers, the Israeli military announced on Thursday evening.

The rocket launchers had been prepared for direct attacks on Israel, according to the Israeli army. Lebanese security circles spoke of one of the heaviest waves of Israeli attacks since the beginning of the mutual shelling in October.

Fear of an Israeli ground offensive
The military action has increased concerns about a possible Israeli ground offensive in the south of the neighboring country. The Jewish state wants to push Hezbollah, which denies Israel's right to exist, out of the border area again in order to guarantee the security of its citizens in the north.

(Bild: AFP/Ammar Ammar)

Following the heavy airstrikes, the Israeli army called on residents of several communities and towns in northern Israel to stay close to air raid shelters. Civilians should also stay away from military training areas in the north over the weekend.

"Activities" announced in training areas
The military will be carrying out "activities" there, so there is a danger to life for unauthorized persons. "It is possible that shots and explosions will be heard in nearby villages," the army said in a statement. The exact meaning of the order was initially unclear. There is concern in Lebanon that Israel could be preparing a ground offensive in the south of the country.

In the event of such an operation, troops would have to be assembled in the north of Israel. The army will continue to weaken Hezbollah's infrastructure and capabilities in order to defend the state of Israel, the Israeli army added. According to the information, "terror infrastructure" and a Hezbollah weapons depot in southern Lebanon were also attacked.

Representatives of the Israeli military wanted to present plans for the northern front to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during security consultations in the evening, Israeli media reported. As the "Times of Israel" claims to have learned from military circles, the army wants to achieve the return of the tens of thousands of residents who have fled from northern Israel to their homes, but without escalating the conflict with Hezbollah into a regional war. Israel recently declared the return of the residents to the north to be a war objective.

Air strike after rocket fire from Lebanon
The extensive air strikes took place after heavy rocket fire from Lebanon on communities in northern Israel, as reported by the "Times of Israel". Two Israeli soldiers were killed - a 20-year-old soldier and a 43-year-old reservist, according to the army.

Hezbollah chief announces retaliation
During the mutual shelling, a speech by the Secretary General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, was broadcast on Lebanese television. In it, he referred to the deadly attacks on his militia's communication technology, accused Israel of attempted genocide and announced retaliation. "This criminal act is tantamount to a declaration of war," he said.

Israel has not yet publicly claimed responsibility for the attacks. Not only Nasrallah, but also military and intelligence experts see Israel as the mastermind behind the explosions. "In the short term, this is an extraordinary tactical achievement," Eyal Pinko, a former Israeli intelligence officer, told the Wall Street Journal. "In the long term, it will not bring military or political success," he said.

Hezbollah wants to continue attacks on Israel
Nasrallah announced that the shelling of northern Israel would continue. The "resistance in Lebanon" would not stop its attacks on Israel until the "aggression (by Israel) against Gaza" ceased, he said in his televised speech. Israel could only allow people to return to the north in safety once the war in the Gaza Strip had been stopped.

According to Hezbollah, it is acting in solidarity with the Islamist Hamas in the coastal region. Both terrorist groups are supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose leadership regards Israel as its arch-enemy.

The almost daily mutual shelling has developed into a low-threshold war. According to official figures, around 600 people have already been killed in Lebanon, most of them Hezbollah members. According to official figures, 48 people have died in Israel as a result of attacks by the pro-Iranian militia, including soldiers but also many civilians.

Fear of an Israeli ground offensive
The military action has increased concerns about a possible Israeli ground offensive in the south of the neighboring country. The Jewish state wants to push Hezbollah, which denies Israel's right to exist, out of the border area again in order to guarantee the safety of its citizens in the north.

Following the heavy airstrikes, the Israeli army called on residents of several communities and towns in northern Israel to stay close to air raid shelters. Civilians should also stay away from military training areas in the north over the weekend.

"Activities" announced in training areas
The military will be carrying out "activities" there, so there is a danger to life for unauthorized persons. "It is possible that shots and explosions will be heard in nearby villages," the army said in a statement. The exact meaning of the order was initially unclear. There is concern in Lebanon that Israel could be preparing a ground offensive in the south of the country.

In the event of such an operation, troops would have to be assembled in the north of Israel. The army will continue to weaken Hezbollah's infrastructure and capabilities in order to defend the state of Israel, the Israeli army added. According to the information, "terror infrastructure" and a Hezbollah weapons depot in southern Lebanon were also attacked.

Representatives of the Israeli military wanted to present plans for the northern front to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during security consultations in the evening, Israeli media reported. As the "Times of Israel" claims to have learned from military circles, the army wants to achieve the return of the tens of thousands of residents who have fled from northern Israel to their homes, but without escalating the conflict with Hezbollah into a regional war. Israel recently declared the return of the residents to the north to be a war objective.

Air strike after rocket fire from Lebanon
The extensive air strikes took place after heavy rocket fire from Lebanon on communities in northern Israel, as reported by the "Times of Israel". Two Israeli soldiers were killed - a 20-year-old soldier and a 43-year-old reservist, according to the army.

During the mutual shelling, a speech by the Secretary General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, was broadcast on Lebanese television. In it, he referred to the deadly attacks on his militia's communications technology, accused Israel of attempted genocide and announced retaliation. "This criminal act is tantamount to a declaration of war," he said.

Israel has not yet publicly claimed responsibility for the attacks. Not only Nasrallah, but also military and intelligence experts see Israel as the mastermind behind the explosions. "In the short term, this is an extraordinary tactical achievement," Eyal Pinko, a former Israeli intelligence officer, told the Wall Street Journal. "In the long term, it will not bring military or political success," he said.

Nasrallah announced that the shelling of northern Israel would continue. The "resistance in Lebanon" would not stop its attacks on Israel until the "aggression (by Israel) against Gaza" ceased, he said in his televised speech. Israel could only allow people to return to the north in safety once the war in the Gaza Strip had been stopped.

According to Hezbollah, it is acting in solidarity with the Islamist Hamas in the coastal region. Both terrorist groups are supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose leadership regards Israel as its arch-enemy.

The almost daily mutual shelling has developed into a low-threshold war. According to official figures, around 600 people have already been killed in Lebanon, most of them Hezbollah members. According to official figures, 48 people have died in Israel as a result of attacks by the pro-Iranian militia, including soldiers but also many civilians.