Israel strikes Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon amid rising tensions

New Delhi, Sep 20: Israel's military has announced that its warplanes have hit more than 100 Hezbollah rocket launchers and other sites on Thursday night on specific locations  in southern Lebanon. Among these was a weapons storage facility. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said it was in response to the rocket launchers that were set up and ready to be fired at Israel.

According to Lebanon's state-run news agency, Israel carried out at least 52 airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday evening. In response, Lebanon launched attacks on military positions in northern Israel.

Earlier, on Tuesday and Wednesday, pagers and walkie-talkies blasts occurred across Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of 37 people and injuries to 3,000 others, according to Lebanese authorities. Israel has not yet confirmed its involvement in the incidents, but Defence Minister Yoav Gallant stated that Israel is entering a "new phase of the war," with a greater focus on operations in the north.

Meanwhile Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah condemned the recent attacks saying they had "crossed all red lines" and accused Israel of what he called a declaration of war. In his speech, he described the Israeli actions as "massacre" and "war crimes" against Lebanon. Despite the severity of the attacks he claimed that Hezbollah's command and communication capabilities were still intact.

The cross-border violence escalated following an attack on Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza on October 7th, 2023. Since then, fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli forces has intensified, leading to hundreds of deaths, mostly among Hezbollah fighters, and forcing tens of thousands of people on both sides to flee their homes.

The IDF has also warned residents in northern Israel near the Lebanese border to avoid large gatherings, stay close to bomb shelters, and be vigilant in their neighbourhoods.