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After two days of deadly radio explosions that rocked Lebanon, Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire on the border. While Israel launched raids on targets in southern Lebanon, a Hezbollah missile counterattack killed an Israeli soldier and wounded eight others. While Beirut called on the Security Council to take a firm stance to stop the aggression and technological war, the European Union condemned the spread of terror in Lebanon.
The Israeli army announced that it launched new raids on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, while sirens sounded in northern Israel, indicating gunfire from Lebanon. The army said in a statement that it struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon with the aim of reducing Hezbollah’s capabilities and undermining its infrastructure, adding that this comes within the framework of efforts to return displaced settlers from northern Israel to their settlements.
The Israeli army stated that it bombed 6 Hezbollah infrastructure sites and a weapons storage facility in southern Lebanon, in the areas of Shehin, Taybeh, Blida, Mays al-Jabal, Aitaroun and Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon, in addition to a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the Khiam area in southern Lebanon.
A Reuters witness said Israeli fighter jets carried out massive sonic booms over Beirut, sending Lebanese residents into a panic over a major escalation.
In addition, an Israeli soldier was killed and 8 others were injured yesterday, due to the launching of anti-tank missiles from Lebanon towards the Galilee Finger. The Israeli official broadcasting authority said that there were two serious injuries and they were transferred to the hospital.
For his part, Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad revealed yesterday that the death toll from the explosions of communication devices used by Hezbollah over the past two days has risen to 37 dead and 3,539 wounded. The minister explained that 12 people were killed in the first wave of pager explosions on Tuesday and 25 people in the second wave of explosions that targeted wireless communication devices on Wednesday.
While Bulgaria’s security service said it would investigate a company linked to the sale of pagers to Hezbollah, Japanese company Icom, which makes the brand of pagers linked to the bombings, said it could not have manufactured the explosive devices. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said the explosion of walkie-talkies and other wireless communications equipment in Lebanon had seriously disrupted the country’s already fragile health sector.
firm stance
Politically, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on the UN Security Council, which is holding a session today to discuss the explosions that targeted communication devices used by Hezbollah, to take a firm stance to stop the war waged by Israel against his country. Mikati stressed in a statement the need for the UN Security Council to take a firm stance to stop the Israeli aggression against Lebanon and the technological war it is waging.
spread horror
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, in a statement issued by the EU mission to Lebanon, condemned the attacks targeting Hezbollah’s communications devices, saying that those responsible for them aimed to spread terror in Lebanon. Josep Borrell said: The indiscriminate use is unacceptable due to the inevitable and disastrous collateral damage among civilians, and the wider consequences for the entire population, including fear, terror and the collapse of hospitals.
Solidarity and warning
In turn, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his solidarity with Lebanon and condemned the bombings in a phone call with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati yesterday. The French President called on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid escalation that would not lead to any solution.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also warned all parties against escalation in the Middle East. She wrote on the X platform: For months, we and all our partners have been holding discussions and phone calls and striving to achieve whatever possible progress for stability.. Attack and counterattack do not move the region one inch towards peace.
Expand war
In addition, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel of expanding the war to Lebanon. The minister said: We see that Israel has begun to intensify its attacks on Lebanon step by step. The escalation in the region is worrying. We have reached a point where Iran, Hezbollah and elements close to them have no choice but to respond.
The Turkish minister warned that Jordan does not intend to remain silent in the face of the Israeli reality, which is also worrying. He estimated that there is a risk of a war that will include Jordan, Egypt and the entire region, calling on the international community to put an end to it before it is too late.
