Israel Strikes Over 120 Hezbollah Targets in Lebanon Amid Escalating Tensions
The Israeli military launched a massive aerial operation on Monday, targeting more than 120 Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon within a one-hour period.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) focused on sites associated with Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces and other units, as tensions between the two nations continue to escalate.
This operation comes amid Israel’s ongoing confrontation with Lebanon’s Hezbollah group and Hamas. Israel is currently engaged in battles on multiple fronts, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to ensure that the violence experienced on October 7, 2023, could never be repeated.
Intense Fighting and Expanding Operations
The Israeli military also reported that its air defenses intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, while Hezbollah fired approximately 135 projectiles into Israel throughout the day. In response, Israel intensified its air strikes and announced it would expand its operations along Lebanon’s coast, south of the Al-Awali River. Citizens in the area were advised to avoid the shoreline due to heightened security concerns.
Regional and International Reactions
Tehran, which has long supported Hezbollah and the Yemeni rebels, praised Hamas’s attack on Israel last October, while warning of further escalations. The ongoing conflict has drawn widespread international condemnation, with Pope Francis criticizing the global community’s “shameful inability” to end the violence.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed concern over the rapidly deteriorating situation, saying, “The Middle East is on the verge of a complete conflagration that the international community seems unable to control.”
Hamas Vows to Prolong Conflict
Abu Obeida, spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing, reiterated the movement’s intention to continue the conflict in a “long war of attrition” against Israel. He also highlighted the difficult conditions faced by hostages taken into Gaza on October 7, 2023, and acknowledged that several thousand Hamas fighters have died in combat.
Netanyahu’s Pledge and the Expanding Conflict
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized that the dual wars against Hezbollah and Hamas are essential to prevent a recurrence of the violence seen in October 2023. He stated that Israel’s military operations aim to reshape the security situation in the region and to bring hostages held in Gaza back home.
Netanyahu has faced criticism domestically for allegedly hindering international efforts to broker a truce and secure the release of hostages. As the conflict expands northwards into Lebanon, Israel’s intensified military actions signal a continued effort to counteract the influence and attacks from Hezbollah along the northern border.
