The Lebanese Hezbollah announced the bombing of Israeli military targets, while the Israeli army announced that 6 of its soldiers were wounded on the border with Lebanon. The Israeli Defense Minister confirmed that Israel can return Lebanon to the Stone Age, but it does not seek war with Hezbollah.
Hezbollah said that its fighters attacked 6 Israeli targets off the border and in the occupied Shebaa Farms. They also targeted buildings used by Israeli soldiers in the settlements of Metulla, Avivim and Evin Menachem, which led to them catching fire, leaving those inside dead and wounded.
In return, Israeli aircraft launched a raid on the town of Aitaroun, in southern Lebanon.
The occupation army had bombed the towns of Kafar Shuba, Al-Khiyam and Aita Al-Shaab, and last night Israeli aircraft launched a raid on the city of Nabatieh, south of Lebanon.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s correspondent quoted a security source as saying that the raid targeted a building in the city centre, destroying it, damaging neighbouring houses and injuring at least 5 people.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant warned that the army was capable of returning Lebanon to the “stone age,” but stressed that Tel Aviv prefers a diplomatic solution, which was not ruled out by a security source for the Israeli Broadcasting Authority.
Galant said, at the conclusion of his visit to Washington yesterday, Wednesday, that Israel “does not want a war” against Hezbollah, but it could cause “serious damage” to Lebanon if diplomatic efforts fail.
At the end of the visit, which lasted several days, Gallant explained to reporters, “We do not want war, but we are preparing for all scenarios,” and added, “Hezbollah is well aware that we are capable of causing serious damage to Lebanon if a war breaks out.”
Troop transportation and training
In the same context, the Israeli army continues its preparations for a possible war with Lebanon by transferring forces to the north and conducting combat training, in light of Hezbollah escalating its military operations against Israeli targets in the wake of the war in Gaza.
The Israeli army said that the Northern Command continues to prepare and train for various scenarios, to enhance readiness on the northern front on the Lebanese border.
The army added, in a statement, that forces affiliated with the Golani Brigade operating in the Shebaa Farms and Mount Hermon area in the Golan, completed military training during the past week, simulating confronting various threats.
In turn, Israeli Channel 12 said that the Israeli army began moving its forces to the north, referring to the border with Lebanon.
She added that although Israel is still trying to reach an agreement with Lebanon that allows residents of the northern border to return to their homes, the political and military levels are preparing for the second option, in reference to war.
She stated that the Northern Command accommodates soldiers coming from the southern front (Gaza), and conducted intensive training that includes preparations for combat scenarios in complex, mountainous, and built-up areas.
However, Israel Hayom quoted the State Comptroller, in a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that Israel is not ready for war in the north.
She added, quoting the State Comptroller, “The Ministers of Defense and Interior are arguing, and we are not prepared to evacuate the population in the event of a war.”
He pointed out that “there is no room for a state of incompatibility that has continued for a long period,” stressing that there is a need for unified and organized action.
French concern
On the other hand, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday that Paris is deeply concerned about the seriousness of the situation in Lebanon, and called on both parties to exercise restraint.
In recent weeks, the intensity of escalation between Israel and Hezbollah has increased, raising fears among Western powers of the outbreak of a comprehensive war, especially with the Israeli army announcing more than a week ago that it had approved operational plans for a large-scale attack on Lebanon.
The factions, which are clashing with the Israeli army from Lebanon, say that they stand in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which has been exposed to an Israeli war since October 7 with absolute American support.
As of Thursday, the war on Gaza resulted in more than 124,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing people amid massive destruction and famine that claimed the lives of dozens of children.
Israel continues this war, ignoring the UN Security Council resolutions to stop it immediately, and the orders of the International Court of Justice to end the invasion of Rafah (south), and to take measures to prevent acts of genocide and improve the miserable humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Tel Aviv is also challenging the request of International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan to issue arrest warrants against its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and its Defense Minister, Yoav Galant, for their responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
