Israeli farmer Ofer Moskovitz was killed Sunday morning in the northern kibbutz of Misgav Am amid the fighting between the IDF and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, as Israel vowed to intensify the operations against the terror group.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have ordered the IDF to immediately destroy all the bridges over the Litani River that are used for terrorist activity, in order to prevent the passage of Hezbollah terrorists and weapons southward,” said Defense Minister Israel Katz in a statement.
He also ordered the acceleration of “the destruction of Lebanese homes in the border villages in order to thwart threats to the Israeli settlements, in accordance with the model of Beit Hanoun and Rafah in Gaza,” Katz added.
The Israeli Air Force has been continuously striking Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, while ground troops are slowly advancing to create a buffer zone along the Israeli border.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah has been firing rockets and drones into northern Israel almost nonstop. On Sunday morning, the group claimed responsibility for the projectile that killed Moskovitz, though the IDF later said it was investigating a suspicion that an Israeli artillery shell may have hit the avocado farmer and kibbutz spokesman as he was driving near the border.
“The possibility that the incident involved fire originating from IDF soldiers is being examined,” the military said.
Later on Sunday, the IDF said that Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir approved plans on Saturday for the continuation of the operations in Lebanon on Saturday: “The operation against the Hezbollah terrorist organization has only begun - at the conclusion of the operation in Iran, Hezbollah will remain alone and isolated. The operation against Hezbollah is a prolonged one, and we are prepared for it,” said Zamir.
“Iran is our primary effort, and the northern arena is an additional central arena. They are interconnected. The Hezbollah terrorist organization is a central proxy of the Iranian terror regime and made a grave mistake when it chose to join the campaign against Israel.”
Zamir said that over 2,000 targets have been hit so far, including dozens of weapons storage facilities, while hundreds of terrorists have been killed.
On Sunday, videos on social media showed the Israeli airstrikes on the Qasmiya Bridge, a key crossing point over the Litani River on the coastal highway outside the city of Tyre, the fifth attack on a bridge in southern Lebanon so far.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned Israel’s targeting of bridges, which is the first time in years that Israel has explicitly targeted ostensibly civilian infrastructure being used by Hezbollah.
“These attacks constitute a dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty. They are considered a prelude to a ground invasion – something Lebanon has repeatedly warned against through diplomatic channels,” Aoun wrote on 𝕏.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah has claimed that its operatives have clashed with Israeli soldiers in the towns of Taybeh, al-Khiam, and Naqoura, while the IDF has refrained from revealing where its troops are operating, saying they are “continuing in precise operations in southern Lebanon” that are “aimed at enhancing the forward defense area in southern Lebanon.”
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