IDF begins strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon
Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, General Herzi Halevi, approved a war plan for the northern front, and the military informed us on Thursday. The army stated that artillery fire has already begun targeting objectives in southern Lebanon, believed to be linked to Hezbollah.
"The IDF is currently striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon to degrade Hezbollah’s terrorist capabilities and infrastructure," the army said in a statement.
"For decades, Hezbollah has weaponized civilian homes, dug tunnels beneath them and used civilians as human shields—having turned southern Lebanon into a war zone. The IDF is operating to bring security to northern Israel in order to enable the return of residents to their homes and achieve war goals," the army emphasised in a statement published on X.
The military statement was issued just before the address of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. This is the first appearance of the leader of this movement following a series of coordinated electronic device explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday. At least 37 people were killed in different parts of Lebanon, and approximately 3,000 were injured.
Nasrallah summarised that this series of events could be perceived as a "declaration of war."
In statements issued after the explosions, Hezbollah accused Israel of carrying out these attacks and vowed retaliation.
The explosions coincided with another escalation of tension along the Israel-Hezbollah line, raising fears of an outbreak of regional war. Media speculate that authorities in Jerusalem might decide to launch a ground operation in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah as a target of Israeli attacks
Since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, Hezbollah, supported by Iran, has been regularly shelling northern Israel, which responds with fire. Mutual shelling has led to the evacuation of over 100,000 civilians from both sides of the border.
On Monday, the Israeli government declared that stopping Hezbollah attacks on the northern part of the country and enabling the return of tens of thousands of evacuees is an official war objective. On Wednesday, Defence Minister Yoav Galant announced that Israel is entering a "new phase of the war" and is concentrating its forces in the north.
