Israeli military has initiated missile attacks into the southern part of Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah positions following the latter’s assault using anti-tank projectiles that affected Israeli troops, as per official reports.
The spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, confirmed on Wednesday that Israeli forces had directed their artillery fire at Duhaira, a town near the Lebanese border, and its environs, from where the initial missile offense originated. He highlighted the ongoing skirmishes on a secondary battlefront along Israel’s northern perimeter with Hezbollah in Lebanon, concurrent with the IDF’s retaliatory operations in the Gaza Strip.
“Tens of thousands of extra troops have been positioned along the northern frontier,” Conricus stated, encompassing various military divisions such as infantry, commandos, armored and artillery brigades, air squadrons, and supplementary units for intelligence and logistics.
He further communicated a stern warning to Hezbollah: “Our preparedness and alertness on our border are unwavering, and any form of aggression will be met with readiness.”
Hezbollah, a Shi’a militia with support from Iran and headquartered in Lebanon, is recognized as an international terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of State.
Distinct from Hamas, another terrorist faction acknowledged by the U.S. and operating out of Gaza, this Iran-supported ensemble has expressed support for Hamas’ offensives against Israel, albeit without formally entering the conflict.
The bolstering of Israeli forces at the Lebanon-Israel boundary ensued after Hezbollah launched anti-tank missiles targeting an Israeli defense outpost in the northern border village of Aramsha.
Hezbollah, in a proclamation issued Wednesday, asserted that their offensive resulted in numerous Israeli military casualties, both injuries and fatalities, though without providing specific details. They declared this assault was retaliatory, following an Israeli bombardment on Sunday that eliminated three of its fighters.
The IDF reported that there was also an incursion attempt at the border.
“Hezbollah has already initiated missile and anti-tank attacks on our bases and personnel in Southern Lebanon, thankfully with minimal casualties,” said Conricus. “An infiltration endeavor by Islamic jihad extremists into Israel was effectively neutralized by IDF forces, albeit with the loss of a high-ranking officer and two soldiers.”
Conricus revealed that Israel is contending with a third combat zone, having identified missile launches from Syria, although he did not confirm the identity of the perpetrators, be it Hezbollah, Syrian insurgents, or other groups. The IDF responded with retaliatory strikes at the launch sites.
“There are now 1,200 Israeli casualties,” disclosed Conricus. “To reiterate, we’re facing an inconceivable figure of 1,200 Israeli lives lost, predominantly civilians.”
Conricus explained the sudden rise in casualties was not due to recent clashes but a result of ongoing searches in areas invaded by Hamas the preceding Saturday, leading to the grim discovery of numerous bodies in the affected communities.
He concluded that the current count of injuries stood at 2,700, with expectations of these numbers rising.
