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The fuse was ignited between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, whether in the party’s strongholds in the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut or in the contact areas on the border. While Israel dealt a painful blow to the party by targeting it, which resulted in the killing of one of its leaders and others, the party struck Israeli military barracks and headquarters.
The Israeli army announced the elimination of Ibrahim Aqil, the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, and other senior commanders in an airstrike that targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs. An army spokesman said: Along with Ibrahim Aqil, about 11 officials from Hezbollah’s Radwan Force were eliminated.
According to the Israeli military, Akil and the other commanders killed in the raid were planning an attack on northern Israel, intending to infiltrate Israeli communities and kill innocent civilians. In addition to Akil, about 11 commanders were killed in the raid, military spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a press conference.
Israel carried out a raid on the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut, resulting in deaths and injuries. The Israeli army said that it carried out a targeted strike in Beirut, noting that at this moment there are no changes in the Home Front Command’s defensive guidelines.
Lebanese media reported that there were deaths and injuries in the raid that targeted the Al-Jamous area in the Al-Qaim neighborhood in the southern suburb, noting that more than one raid targeted a building in the Al-Qaim area on a street crowded with pedestrians.
The official Lebanese National News Agency announced that an Israeli F-35 warplane launched a raid with two missiles targeting an apartment in Al-Jamous, causing human losses, with children among the dead.
As columns of smoke rose into the sky, ambulances, the Red Cross, and civil defense firefighting teams rushed to the targeted location and worked to transport the injured amidst the deployment of the Lebanese army. A resident of the Al-Jamous neighborhood said that his house shook completely, adding that he heard two loud explosions.
The Israeli warplanes raided the southern town of Aita al-Shaab, the town of Kfar Shouba, and the outskirts of the town of Yater in southern Lebanon.
The artillery shelling also targeted the outskirts of the towns of Yaroun, Beit Lif, Hanin, Zebqin, and the southern town of Tayri, in addition to carrying out raids on the towns of Mays al-Jabal, Kfar Kila, Aitaroun, and Taybeh, and the outskirts of the towns of Adaisseh and Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army said that orders restricting movement and large gatherings issued the night before yesterday for a number of residential areas in northern Israel and the Golan Heights had been cancelled.
Targeting barracks
Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced that its elements had once again targeted several Israeli barracks yesterday with Katyusha rockets, noting that the headquarters of the missile and artillery battalion in the Yoav Basaliyat barracks had been bombed, in addition to the headquarters of the Golan Division’s military assembly in the Yarden barracks being bombed with Katyusha rockets.
The party also confirmed that its members bombed the headquarters of the 210th Golan Division in Nafah with rockets. The party targeted Israeli soldiers at the Israeli site of Matla with a guided missile, and the barracks of Beria, Kela and Alika. The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation said yesterday that about 150 rockets were launched from Lebanon across the border, noting that there were no reports yet of human losses.
Calls for calm
Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) urged immediate de-escalation after a significant increase in hostilities on the Lebanese-Israeli border. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said: “We are concerned by the increasing escalation across the Blue Line and urge all parties concerned to de-escalate immediately.”
The US White House said that a diplomatic solution is possible and urgent, pointing to fear and concern over a possible escalation. Britain called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
