Tensions between Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Israel escalated on Wednesday as both sides exchanged heavy fire, with Hezbollah firing dozens of rockets at an Israeli border town and Israel launching airstrikes on a Lebanese town just across the frontier.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in their worst hostilities in nearly two decades, with the recent violence intensifying since the outbreak of war in Gaza last October. The ongoing conflict has raised concerns about the potential for a wider and more destructive confrontation between the two heavily armed adversaries.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a Katyusha rocket attack on the town of Shomera at the border, in retaliation for Israeli strikes on Lebanese villages, including one in Hanin that resulted in the deaths of at least two people, including an 11-year-old girl. In response, Israel conducted more than 10 airstrikes on the Lebanese town of Ayta al-Shaab, located just 3 km from Shomera on the other side of the border.
The recent hostilities have also seen Hezbollah launching a drone attack on Israeli military bases north of the coastal city of Acre, marking one of the deepest strikes in the ongoing conflict. The Israeli military has been preparing for a possible war along its northern front with Hezbollah, with both sides suffering casualties in the violence.
Overall, the violence has claimed the lives of more than 70 civilians in Lebanon and 18 people in Israel, including soldiers and civilians. The situation remains tense as both sides continue to exchange fire, raising fears of further escalation in the region.