Israel launched a significant wave of strikes against Lebanon on Saturday following a rocket attack from across the border.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the extensive retaliation targeting what they identified as dozens of Hezbollah sites.
This marks the largest escalation in hostilities since a ceasefire established on November 27th.
The Israeli military reported six rockets fired from Lebanon towards northern Israel, with three being intercepted. In response, Israeli forces conducted an initial series of strikes in southern Lebanon earlier in the day.
Lebanese media reported at least five fatalities, including a young girl, in the southern town of Touline due to Israeli action.
Later, reports indicated three more deaths in Tyre following a second wave of Israeli strikes hitting the south and east.
A security source suggested a Hezbollah official was the target in Tyre, a key coastal city struck for the first time since the ceasefire.
Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the initial rocket fire, labeling Israel’s accusations as “pretexts” for continued aggression.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam cautioned that renewed military operations threatened to plunge the nation into another war.
Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi urged international pressure on Israel to halt its escalation.
Israeli defense officials maintain that the Lebanese government bears responsibility for all attacks originating from its territory, regardless of the perpetrator.
The United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon expressed alarm over the escalating violence.
France condemned the rocket fire and called for Israeli restraint, while Jordan urged immediate international intervention to stop the “Israeli aggression.”
The Lebanese army reported dismantling three makeshift rocket batteries north of the Litani River on Saturday.
