The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out two waves of airstrikes deep in Lebanon, late Monday and on Tuesday morning, targeting several sites belonging to the Hezbollah. The strikes were in response to the Lebanon-based group's recent launching of explosives-laden drones toward the Golan Heights and a barrage of over 100 rockets fired at northern Israel on Tuesday morning.
Hours after the first wave of IDF strikes in northeastern Lebanon's Baalbek, Hezbollah launched a barrage of some 70 rockets at the Golan Heights, marking one of the largest barrages fired by Hezbollah amid the ongoing war. A short while later, a further 30 rockets were fired at the Golan Heights, the IDF said.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the barrages, saying it targeted two Israeli army bases in the Golan Heights with more than 100 Katyusha rockets. The group said the rocket barrage came in response to recent Israeli attacks, including Monday night's strike in northeastern Lebanon's Baalbek, which reportedly killed a civilian.
There were no reports of damage or injuries from the Hezbollah rockets, with footage showing some of the projectiles being intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system. Sirens had sounded in several communities in the northern Golan Heights and the Galilee Panhandle.
After the barrages of 100 rockets, the IDF said fighter jets struck three rocket launchers in southern Lebanon used in the attack. According to the IDF, the airstrikes on Monday night in the area of northeastern Lebanon's Baalbek targeted facilities belonging to Hezbollah's "aerial unit."
Baalbek, an area identified in the past as a Hezbollah stronghold, is nearly 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Israeli border. The IDF said the strikes were in response to Hezbollah's recent launching of explosives-laden drones toward the Golan Heights.
Two security sources and the Baalbek governor, Bashir Khader, told Reuters that at least one civilian was killed and several others were injured in the Israeli strikes. Later Tuesday, in response to the barrages of 100 rockets, the IDF said it targeted two Hezbollah command centers in the Baalbek area, as well as buildings used by Hezbollah and additional infrastructure in Khiam, Bint Jbeil, Odaisseh, and Ayta ash-Shab.
The IDF previously struck in Baalbek last month, after Hezbollah downed a military drone over Lebanon. At the time, it marked the deepest confirmed Israeli strikes in Lebanon in years.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war against the Hamas there. On Sunday alone, Hezbollah fired some 80 rockets at northern Israel.
So far, the skirmishes on the border have resulted in seven civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of ten IDF soldiers and reservists. Hezbollah has named 242 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 40 operatives from other groups, a Lebanese soldier, and at least 30 civilians, three of whom were journalists, have been killed.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned senior White House envoy Amos Hochstein during a meeting in Tel Aviv last week that Hezbollah's ongoing aggression was pushing Israel to a "critical point." His remarks echoed his warning back in November that Hezbollah was dragging Lebanon into a war, and that Lebanon's civilian population would end up paying the price.
As tensions continue to escalate between Israel and Hezbollah, the international community remains concerned about the prospect of a wider conflict in the region. The recent exchange of rocket fire and airstrikes underscores the fragility of the situation and the need for diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation and loss of life on both sides of the border.
