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Israel bombed southern Lebanon on Thursday, saying it had foiled an Iranian-backed assassination plot after explosions in mobile radios used by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The developments could push the two arch-enemies toward a new war.
Sophisticated attacks targeting communications equipment used by Hezbollah have wreaked havoc in Lebanon and are seen as a sign that all-out war between Israel and the group could return, 18 years after their last confrontation.
On Wednesday, walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members exploded across southern Lebanon, on the country’s bloodiest day since cross-border fighting erupted between Hezbollah and Israel, coinciding with the Gaza war nearly a year ago.
The day before, hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah to evade cellphone surveillance exploded, killing 12 people, including two children, and wounding about 3,000 others.
Israel has not officially commented on the attacks, but multiple security sources reported that the Israeli Mossad carried them out.
Israeli security services said they arrested an Israeli citizen last month on suspicion of involvement in an Iranian-backed assassination plot. The man, a businessman with connections in Turkey, attended at least two meetings in Iran to discuss the possibility of assassinating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Galant, or the head of the Shin Bet internal security service, the officials said.
The Israeli army announced today that its aircraft and artillery bombed several targets in southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah sites in Sheheen, Taybeh, Blida, Mays al-Jabal, Aitaroun, and Kfar Kila, in addition to a weapons storage facility in the Khiyam area.
Israeli media reported that a number of Israeli civilians were injured by anti-tank missile fire from Lebanon, but there was no official confirmation.
The Israeli army reported that Hezbollah fired about 20 rockets at Israel on Wednesday, and that air defense systems intercepted most of them without causing any injuries.
shift in focus
Israel and Hezbollah are exchanging fire across the Israeli-Lebanese border as Israel wages war in Gaza against Hamas. Tens of thousands of residents have been evacuated on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border, and Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed Wednesday to return displaced Israelis “safely to their homes.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said that the war that Israel has been waging in Gaza since October has entered a new phase, as the focus has now shifted to the northern border area. He explained that additional military reinforcements and resources are being sent to the northern border.
According to Israeli officials, the forces being deployed to the border include the 98th Division, an elite unit fighting in Gaza that includes special forces and paratroopers.
Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets into Israel the day after Hamas’s October 7 attack, and since then the two sides have exchanged fire without escalating into full-scale war. However, tens of thousands have been evacuated on both sides of the border, amid internal pressure on the Israeli government to return the displaced to their homes.
