The attacks on Hezbollah’s military infrastructure follow the assassination of the Hamas leader in Beirut, which Israel has not claimed responsibility for.
Several Hezbollah members were killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon in one of the deadliest days for the Iran-aligned group, as cross-border fighting has intensified since the start of the war in Gaza in October.
At least nine members of the group were killed in separate attacks on Wednesday, the Reuters news agency reported.
The Israeli army released nighttime videos of the attacks, including those against Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and “observation devices” in the village of Yaroun, in the southern Lebanese governorate of Nabatieh, located on the other next to the border with the Israeli settlements of Yir’on and Avivim, in northern Israel.
The grainy footage appears to show Israeli bombs hitting and destroying several residential buildings near other civilian buildings.
“Launches” were also detected crossing Lebanese territory and falling in open areas of the Goren settlement area in northern Israel, the Israeli military said.
Since October 8, incessant clashes on the border between the Israeli army and Hezbollah have resulted in the deaths of dozens of Lebanese civilians and more than 140 Hezbollah members. Israel and armed groups in southern Lebanon – about 200 km (124 miles) from the Gaza Strip, particularly Hezbollah – have engaged in frequent exchanges across the Israeli-Lebanese border monitored by the United Nations.
Escalation Fears
The attacks follow the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, a Hamas deputy leader, in a drone strike in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Tuesday.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech on Wednesday that al-Arouri’s assassination was “a major and dangerous crime about which we cannot remain silent.” Hezbollah supports the Palestinian armed group.
Thousands of people attended al-Arouri’s funeral in Beirut later Thursday, where mourners prayed before carrying his body to the Palestinian martyrs’ cemetery in the Shatila refugee camp.
The funeral took place in the presence of Palestinian officials, including senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk, as well as representatives of some Lebanese political groups.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s Imran Khan, reporting from Beirut on Thursday, said all the different Palestinian factions in Lebanon “came out in force.”
Members of Hezbollah also joined them, Khan said. All senior Hamas leaders in Lebanon also attended the funeral, he added.
“It was a real sign of respect, a real sign of unity,” Khan said. “Today wasn’t about revenge… today was about showing defiance and unity.”
Hamas and Hezbollah should respond, Khan said.
He said the language coming from both Israel and Hezbollah suggests neither side is ready to back down.
Nasrallah blamed Israel for the attack and offered his condolences to Hamas for what he called “blatant Israeli aggression.”
Israel has not taken responsibility for the attack that killed al-Arouri in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold. But there are growing fears that Israel’s war in Gaza could intensify in the region.
The United Nations has called for restraint, saying a further escalation of hostilities could be devastating for Israel and Lebanon.
French President Emmanuel Macron, in a call with Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, urged Israel to “avoid any attitude of escalation, particularly in Lebanon.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously warned that Beirut would be transformed “into Gaza” if Hezbollah launched all-out war.
