Israeli warplanes pounded on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Thursday, hitting hundreds of rocket launcher barrels that were about to be used to immediately fire towards Israeli territory, the military stated.
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Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that over 100 rocket launchers primed for imminent attacks on Israel were destroyed. These launchers, scattered across Hezbollah’s positions in southern Lebanon, contained an estimated 1,000 rocket barrels. In addition, several Hezbollah buildings and a weapons depot were also hit.
This came hours after Hezbollah’s chief, Hassan Nasrallah, threatened “tough retribution and just punishment” for the back-to-back attacks that trampled on the militant group’s communication infrastructure with explosives hidden in pagers and walkie-talkies.
Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant warned that the country was entering a “new phase in the war,” indicating that the conflict, previously centred around Gaza, was now expanding to the northern border with Lebanon.
Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has been a staunch ally of Hamas, the Palestinian group at the heart of the war in Gaza since the October 7 attack that killed over 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians. The conflict has now spilt over into a regional confrontation, with Hezbollah launching daily attacks against Israeli communities along the northern border, prompting retaliatory strikes from the IDF.
The exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah along the border have triggered mass evacuations, forcing tens of thousands of civilians on both sides of the border to flee their homes.
Communities along Israel’s northern front are now under strict military guidelines, with residents instructed to remain close to bomb shelters, avoid large gatherings, and reduce movement outside.
