Is All Out War Breaking Out? Israel Is Now Also Intensely Bombing Lebanon And Hezbollah Is Retaliating
Israeli Defense Minister Yova Gallant stated that its intensified airstrikes were part of Israel’s “new phase” of war, saying “we will continue to pursue our enemy in order to protect our citizens”.
Israel has been launching thousands of missiles on southern Lebanon after declaring it is expanding its war goals to allow Israelis who fled areas near the Lebanese border to return home safely.
First, on Wednesday Sep. 18, hundreds of pagers and electronic devices exploded simultaneously across Lebanon, killing 12 people, including two children and injuring 2,800 others
While Israel hasn’t commented on the explosions, multiple sources said the operation was carried out by Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad.
The next day on Thursday, Sep. 19, Israel then detonated hundreds of walkie talkies and other wireless electronic devices across Lebanon, raising the death toll to 37 killed and almost 3,000 injured.
In response, Hezbollah, a Lebanese political party and militant group, which controls significant portions of the country, vowed to retaliate, saying Israel "crossed all lines" and it is a "clear declaration of war".
Hours after the second day of explosions, Israeli officials issued statements which appeared to suggest a full-on war with Hezbollah was brewing, according to the Times of Israel.
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant then said Israel's war is entering a "new phase", and the military is diverting resources to the north where the war's "center of gravity" has shifted.
Israel later launched more than 70 airstrikes across several towns in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley on the evening of Sep. 19.
Then, on Friday, Sep. 20, the Israeli forces carried out what it said was a “targeted strike” in a residential area in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, claiming it was targeting top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil and other senior commanders.
The strike was the deadliest to hit Beirut in decades and killed at least 14 people and injured more than 66 others, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health.
Gallant stated that the strike was part of Israel’s “new phase” of war, saying “we will continue to pursue our enemy in order to protect our citizens”.
Hezbollah later confirmed that Aqil was killed in Israel’s attack, escalating tension across the border and fears that regional war may break out.
Hezbollah then started retaliating, attacking several sites in north Israel.
Since then, cross-border fighting is continuing, with both sides launching attacks and rockets.
In the latest update on Saturday, Sep. 21, the Israeli military said it struck around 290 targets in Lebanon, including thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels, and said it would continue to hit more targets.
In response, Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets in the early hours on Sunday, Sep. 22, targeting northern Israel and injuring at least three people, according to Israel’s military.
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Cherry Mohamed
