BEIRUT: Israel’s army launched strikes Tuesday on eastern Lebanon, Lebanese media reported, as Hezbollah fought Israeli forces following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed no mercy for the group.
Israeli Prime Minister made the statement a day after a drone attack by the Iran-backed group on an Israeli base killed around four Israeli soldiers, while rescuers said that 60 people were injured. “We will continue to cruelly attack Hezbollah in all parts of Lebanon — including Beirut,” Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said on a visit to the base in South of Haifa.
Israel- Hezbollah Conflict
In a statement Hezbollah said that its “fighters clashed with” Israeli forces Tuesday who were attempting to infiltrate on the outskirts of Rab Tlatin village. The group stated that it launched missiles at troops and a barrage of rockets at northern Israel, while Israeli army reported sirens blaring near the border.
Israel’s military claimed its troops killed dozens of fighters in close-quarters combat and attacks over the past day. Since Israel last month escalated its bombing in Lebanon before sending ground forces across the frontier, the conflict has killed around 1,315 people, AFP reported.
Israel also launched multiple air strikes early Tuesday in the eastern Bekaa Valley, putting a hospital in out of service, Lebanon’s official media reported. In a statement, the International Committee of the Red Cross’s regional director, Nicolas Von Arx, appealed for the protection of ambulances and other health facilities and staff, calling strikes on them “deeply worrying.”
Hezbollah stated that it had launched the “squadron of attack drones” in response to Israeli strikes, including one last week that Lebanon’s health ministry said killed about 22 people in central Beirut.
The group added its strikes are also in support of Palestinian Hamas. The conflict in Lebanon has displaced around 690,000 people, according to the International Organization for Migration. Israel also faced strong criticism over injuries and damage sustained by the UN peacekeeping force which has been deployed in Lebanon since 1978, after an earlier Israeli invasion. The UNSC for the first time on Monday expressed “strong concerns” over peacekeepers being injured.
