BEIRUT: Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group on Tuesday exchanged deadly fire following a rocket attack on the Golan Heights that killed 12 people on Saturday and sent regional tensions soaring as Israel warned of a severe response.
The rocket strike on Saturday targeted the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. While Israel and the United States have accused Lebanon’s Hezbollah of launching the attack, the group has denied any involvement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a visit to Majdal Shams on Monday, vowed a “severe response,” raising concerns about the potential for the ongoing Gaza conflict to broaden into a wider regional war. The attack on the Golan Heights has heightened fears of a larger conflict, despite international appeals for calm.
On Tuesday, the situation continued to deteriorate as Israeli forces reported retaliatory strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Israeli medics confirmed that one civilian, a 30-year-old man, was killed in a rocket attack on the northern kibbutz of HaGoshrim.
The Israeli army said it had struck around 10 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon overnight, resulting in the death of one Hezbollah fighter.
In response, Hezbollah launched a barrage of Katyusha rockets at a military headquarters in the village of Beit Hillel, claiming the attack was retaliation for an earlier Israeli strike on Jibchit, which reportedly caused significant damage.
Since October, Israel and Hezbollah are involved in near-daily exchanges of fire, which the Lebanese group claimed are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza where Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign. Israel’s ongoing bombardment campaign in Gaza since October 7 has killed at least 39,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
The cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah has had a devastating toll on both sides. At least 531 people have been killed in Lebanon, mostly civilians. On the Israeli side, 45 people, mostly soldiers, have died.
The situation in Lebanon is particularly tense, with fears of further Israeli retaliatory strikes causing widespread panic among the population. Lebanese authorities have been bracing for potential escalations, and international diplomatic efforts are intensifying to contain the crisis. French and US diplomats are leading calls for restraint and de-escalation.
Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines chairman Mohammed al-Hout stated that Beirut’s airport remains “not exposed to any threat,” though several international airlines have suspended flights to the city due to the heightened risk.
The Lebanese public, particularly those in areas near the conflict, is living in a state of constant fear of airstrikes and shelling. Cosette Beshara, a mother of two, expressed her fear of an impending war, saying, “I’m always thinking about how I will escape with my children if war breaks out.”
The ongoing Gaza conflict has exacerbated regional tensions, with the war resulting in significant casualties.
