Israel stated that the strikes were in response to a Hezbollah rocket attack that resulted in the death of one of its soldiers.
For more than four months, there have been ongoing exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli military along the Israel-Lebanon border.
The situation escalated when Hezbollah launched rockets across the disputed frontier in support of its Palestinian ally, Hamas. Sadly, in the village of al-Sawana, an Israeli airstrike resulted in the deaths of a woman and her two children, according to reports from two security sources.
In Nabatieh, additional casualties occurred when a strike hit a building, claiming the lives of four children, three women, and a man, as reported by Hassan Wazni, the director of the town’s hospital, and three other security sources. Seven individuals were also injured in the attack, as confirmed by Wazni.
According to statements from Hezbollah and security sources, four Hezbollah fighters were killed in separate strikes. Despite not announcing any operations on Wednesday, the head of Hezbollah’s executive council emphasized that Israel’s attacks on Lebanon “cannot pass without a response.”
An Israeli government spokesperson informed journalists that rocket barrages from Lebanon on Wednesday morning resulted in the death of an Israeli soldier, with eight others hospitalised.
“As we have made clear time and time again, Israel is not interested in a war on two fronts. But if provoked, we will respond forcefully.” Spokesperson Ilana Stein stated.
Stein added, “The current reality, where tens of thousands of Israelis are displaced and cannot return to their homes, is unbearable. They must be able to return home and live in peace and security,” Stein added.
Stein and Israel’s military stated that the military had responded to cross-border rocket fire from Lebanon.
Israel’s military chief, Herzi Halevi, who had been meeting with the heads of local municipalities in northern Israel on Wednesday, emphasized that despite what he described as achievements against Hezbollah, this was “not the time to stop.”
Hezbollah head Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stated in a televised address on Tuesday that his group would only halt its exchanges of fire if a full ceasefire was reached for Gaza.
The cross-border shelling has resulted in the deaths of more than 200 people in Lebanon, including over 170 Hezbollah fighters, as well as around a dozen Israeli troops and five Israeli civilians. Additionally, tens of thousands of people in the border areas of each country have been displaced as a result.