Lebanon: Hezbollah Draws Closer To Full War With Israel With Intensified Missile Attacks, Israeli Retaliation

Lebanon: Hezbollah Draws Closer To Full War With Israel With Intensified Missile Attacks, Israeli Retaliation

Vijeta Uniyal

Iran-backed terrorists group Hezbollah has ramped up rocket attacks on Israel., media reports say. An Israeli soldier was wounded on Sunday after being hit by a Hezbollah rocket in the region of Galilee, northern Israel.

“Over the past few hours, numerous launches were identified crossing from Lebanon into the areas of Margaliot and Malkia in northern Israel,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a press release on Sunday. “The IDF struck the sources of the launches. As a result of the launches, an IDF soldier was lightly injured and evacuated to a hospital to receive medical treatment. His family has been notified.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded by taking out Hezbollah rocket launch sites in southern Lebanon. “Hezbollah ups attacks on Israel,” the Jerusalem Postreported Sunday. “In response, the IDF attacked the sources of the rocket fire, including Hezbollah infrastructure in al-Khiam and Rab El Thalathine in southern Lebanon. Additionally, the IDF attacked the Hula area with artillery to remove a threat.”

The latest rocket barrage from Lebanon took place in the backdrop of increased Hezbollah aggression as the IDF conducts a large-scale military operation to eliminate Hamas in Gaza.

Since October 7, “Hezbollah has maintained its near-daily attacks on Israel,” The Times of Israel noted Saturday.  Israel has been “compelled to establish a kind of “security zone” in the north, evacuating tens of thousands of residents from towns near the border, similar action has been taken in south Lebanon. Some 80,000 residents of northern Israel have been forced to leave their homes amid the hostilities.”

In recent months, Hezbollah has been using the territory of neighbouring Syria and Lebanon to carry out attacks on Israel. Israel on Friday conducted multiple ai strikes in Syria and Lebanon, killing several high-level Hezbollah terrorists and destroying an Iranian-supplied weapons depot.

Hamas, PIJ leaders visit Iran in a bid to widen conflict

Hezbollah’s escalation coincides with the recent visits by the leaders of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) to Iran. Hamas and PIJ, both Iran-sponsored terrorists groups, fear an imminent Israeli offensive on their last-standing Gaza stronghold of Rafah.

Hezbollah’s actions in the north could be a bid to ease pressure on Iran-backed terrorists group in Gaza. Israel will score a major strategic victory if its captures Rafah, and thereby eliminating Gaza’s terrorist leadership, jihadist fighting forces and freeing the remaining hostages.

Since Israel launched counter-terrorism operation in the wake of the October 7 massacre, Hamas has been calling for Iran and its proxy terrorists outfits to open multiple fronts against Israel. Yemen-based Houthis have already heeded the call, targeting Israeli and Western cargo ships in the Rad Sea.

Earlier this week, Hamas’s Gaza-based ‘military’ chief, Muhammad Deif, released an audio message calling the Muslims of the world to wage a jihad against Israel. “To our people in Jordan and Lebanon, in Egypt, Algeria, and the Maghreb, in Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia,” Deif said from the safety of his bunker in southern Gaza.

“Start marching now, not tomorrow, toward Palestine, and do not let borders, regimes, and restrictions deprive you of the honor of waging jihad and taking part in the liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque [the Temple Mount],” Deif said while hiding behind Israeli hostages, including women and children.

The Jerusalem Post on Sunday reported the recent visits by Hamas and PIJ terror chiefs to Iran:

The head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, visited Iran over the weekend, where he promised “victory” in the war against Israel. His visit came days after the head of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, also flew to Tehran from Doha. The meetings come at an auspicious time.

What we know from the public statements about the PIJ leader meetings in Iran is that he discussed the role of his terrorist group with the Iranian foreign minister. “Amir Abdollahian considered the unity of the resistance currents in Palestine and the Gaza Strip in the current battle as one of the valuable manifestations of the Palestinian nation,” a report at Tasnim News said. This referenced the accomplishments the Palestinians believe they have gained on the political, legal, and international fronts.

Iran believes it has accelerated the “unity” of various fronts after October 7. It wants to leverage October 7 to create more successes in other arenas, such as the West Bank. It also views October 7 as one shot in a larger war for the world order. The article in Tasniim mentioned the desire to “increase of multi-layered crises inside the Zionist regime.” It believes that after October 7 Israel is more “isolated than ever.”

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