The Israeli army bombed around 100 positions belonging to the Shiite militia party Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Thursday afternoon in one of the largest attacks by Israeli forces since clashes began almost a year ago following the attacks by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on October 7.
“Air Force fighter jets have attacked in the past two hours, under the direction of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Northern Command, hundreds of launch pads that were ready for immediate launch in the territory of the State of Israel. As of the afternoon, a total of around 100 launchers and additional military infrastructure have been attacked, including around 1,000 launch pads that were ready for immediate launch,” the IDF posted on its social media account X.
In this regard, they have promised to continue “damaging and degrading” the “terrorist” capabilities and infrastructure of Hezbollah, which has suffered dozens of casualties in recent days after a series of explosions of electronic devices such as ‘pagers’ or ‘walkie-talkies’, an action attributed to Israel but on which it has not commented.
These actions come at a time when the government has acknowledged a “new stage” in the war, in which it will focus on the border with Lebanon in order to ensure that the population can return to their settlements in the area, after which they have announced a series of maneuvers during the weekend and have prohibited access to the areas of the northern sector due to the fact that live fire tests will be carried out.
“The IDF calls on the public not to enter the prohibited areas and to allow the security forces to continue carrying out their tasks: this is a life-threatening situation. It is important to note that if you come across fallen objects, the instruction is to stay away and report it to the Israel Police. Fallen objects are potentially deadly and may contain explosives. These instructions save lives,” they added.
In addition, they have given numerous instructions to residents of the settlements in Upper Galilee, the entrances to Hermon, Yosod Ha Maale, Hazor, Rosh Pina, Safed Metola and those in the Northern Golan. Authorities have called for reducing movement in these areas, avoiding crowds, controlling entrances and staying close to protected areas.
Hezbollah, for its part, has also carried out numerous attacks against Israeli territory throughout the day, with up to 17 operations directed mostly against military positions, according to the television channel Al Manar, which is close to the Islamist group.
The increase in clashes between Israel and Hezbollah – a group supported by Iran that has significant military and political weight in Lebanon – has raised fears of the possibility of an expansion of the conflict in the Middle East. The Israeli army has even presented its “operational plans” to the United States.
