Israel strikes 100 Hezbollah launchers, northern residents ordered to stay near shelters
Israeli aircraft struck more than 100 Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon, while residents of northern communities were instructed to remain close to shelters on Thursday.
An Israeli Air Force jet takes off for an airstrike in Lebanon on Sept. 19, 2024. Photo by IDF Spokesperson/TPS-IL
“Since this afternoon, the IAF has struck approximately 100 launchers and additional terrorist infrastructure sites, consisting of approximately 1000 barrels that were ready to be used in the immediate future to fire toward Israeli territory,” the Israel Defence Forces said on Thursday night.
The civil defence orders applied to the communities of Merom HaGalil, Mevo’ot HaHermon, Yesud HaMa’ala, Hatzor, Rosh Pinna, Safed and Metula,
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have soared in recent days.
On Monday, the Security Cabinet updated its official war goals to include the secure return of 60,000 evacuated northern residents to their homes.
On Tuesday, pagers belonging to Hezbollah operatives exploded across Lebanon and in Syria, injuring thousands. More Hezbollah figures were injured in a second wave of explosions on Wednesday. The Iran-backed terror group said 32 of its people were killed, a number that has not been independently verified. Israeli officials believe the death toll is higher than Hezbollah has indicated. The blasts are widely attributed to Israel, but Jerusalem has not commented.
On Thursday, two Israeli soldiers were killed along the northern border in Hezbollah missile and drone attacks.
According to figures released by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), Hezbollah fired 1,307 rockets at northern Israel in August, an average of 40 rockets daily. Since October 8, Hezbollah has launched more than 6,700 rockets and drones. The attacks have so far killed 26 civilians and 22 soldiers on the Israeli side.
Northern residents were forced to evacuate their homes when Hezbollah began launching rockets and drones in October. Hezbollah leaders have said they will continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes, which Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah reiterated in a speech on Thursday night. The attacks have so far killed 26 civilians and 20 soldiers on the Israeli side.
Israeli officials have been calling for Hezbollah to be disarmed and removed from southern Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
Israel’s three other official war goals are the eradication of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, the return of all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.
At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 97 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead. Hamas has also been holding captive two Israeli civilians since 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014.
