Beirut, Lebanon – The White House warned both Israel and the Hezbollah backed by Iran group against “escalation of any kind” after this week’s sync pager and walkie talkie blasts aimed at Hezbollah members, but overnight, Israeli warplanes carried out dozens of attacks in southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah continued to fire back.
There were heavy explosions and fires ignited by what the Israel Defense Forces said were attacks targeting hundreds of Hezbollah rocket launchers active in Lebanon earlier Friday.
It appears to be one of the most extensive Israeli attacks on Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Lebanon since the two sides began exchanging fire 11 months ago, with Hezbollah claiming its missile attacks on northern Israel as support for its allies Hamas and the Palestinian people.
Israel Defense Forces / Handout / REUTERS
Hezbollah struck northern Israel again in a counterattack, killing at least two soldiers, according to Israeli officials.
The deadly escalation of violence followed a televised address by a weary Hassan Nasrallah – the head of Hezbollah – who admitted this week’s pager and walkie-talkie blasts had dealt a “severe blow” to the powerful group , which as Hamas has long been designated. a terrorist group from Israel and the United States
Nasrallah accused Israel not only of violating “all red lines” with the explosions, but of a “declaration of war.”
Israel has not publicly announced the complex strikes, but CBS News has learned that US officials were notified by Israel about 20 minutes before the operation began in Lebanon on Tuesday, although no specific details were shared. . the methods to be used.
For two terrifying days in Lebanon, thousands of low-tech communication devices – many used by Hezbollah members – exploded simultaneously across the country, injuring more than 3,000 people and killing at least 37, including children, according to the ministry of the health of Lebanon.
In his address, Nasrallah promised that Israel has not achieved its goal of allowing the return of tens of thousands of people displaced from their homes in the northern border towns. Even as he spoke on Thursday, however, sonic booms echoed over Beirut as Israeli fighter jets roared over the city, flexing Israel’s military might.
But as the US warning on Thursday indicated, the next moves – whether they are more retaliation by Hezbollah or ground operations by the IDF against the group – could have major consequences.
“Ultimately, if they (Israel) invade, they will have to occupy” southern Lebanon, regional analyst Makram Rabah told CBS News. “This would lead to a kind of slow and depleting war for Israel, and this, more importantly, would legitimize Hezbollah.”
But hundreds of Hezbollah fighters were likely injured in the explosive attacks, which almost certainly left the group’s communications networks in complete disarray. And despite warnings from Israel’s defense chief of “a new phase” in the country’s war with Iran’s so-called proxy groups, and an IDF division that has already been transferred from Gaza, no there has also been a large build-up of Israeli forces or hardware over time. the border of Lebanon also seen.
So the prospect of an all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel — which could potentially directly endanger U.S. forces throughout the Middle East — may not be as close as some fear.
contributed to this report.
Imtiaz Tyab
