Following a rocket attack, Israel conducted airstrikes in Lebanon on Saturday, resulting in six deaths. This marks the most significant exchange of fire since a ceasefire was established with Hezbollah nearly four months prior.
The situation has raised concerns about the ceasefire’s viability, particularly after Israel resumed its conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the rocket attack, reaffirming its commitment to the truce.
Israel’s office stated it directed the army to respond forcefully against targets in Lebanon, where Hezbollah is based. The Israeli army reported that six rockets were launched towards Metula, an Israeli town bordering Lebanon. Three rockets entered Israel and were intercepted.
The army stated that it “cannot confirm the identity of the organization that fired the rockets,” but confirmed strikes on Hezbollah command centers and rocket launchers.
A strike by Israel on the village of Touline in southern Lebanon resulted in the deaths of five people, including a child, and injured ten others, including two children, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
The NNA also reported that another Israeli strike hit a garage in Tyre, a coastal city, on Saturday night, killing one person and injuring seven. This was the first attack on the city since the ceasefire began on Nov. 27. Additionally, a strike on Hawsh al-Sayed Ali village, near the Syrian border, wounded five people, the NNA reported.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam requested the military to take necessary measures in the south, while also stating Lebanon’s desire to avoid a return to war.
Hezbollah initiated rocket, drone, and missile launches into Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, which ignited the Gaza war. Tensions escalated into full-scale conflict in September, with Israeli airstrikes targeting and killing most of Hezbollah’s senior leaders. The fighting led to over 4,000 deaths in Lebanon and displaced approximately 60,000 Israelis.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces were to withdraw from all Lebanese territory by late January. Although the deadline was extended to Feb. 18, Israel has maintained a presence in five locations in Lebanon opposite northern Israeli communities. Concurrently, Israel has conducted numerous airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah, while also conducting drone attacks that have killed several members of the militant group.
Lebanon has appealed to the U.N. to pressure Israel to fully withdraw. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon expressed alarm over the potential escalation and urged all parties to avoid jeopardizing the progress made.
The strikes followed an announcement by Israel that it would intensify operations in Gaza until Hamas releases the remaining 59 hostages, with 24 believed to be alive.
An earlier strike in Gaza City killed at least nine people, including three children, in a house, according to Al-Ahli Hospital.
Sameh al-Mashharawi, who lost his brother in the attack, recounted the experience, stating, “Rubble and glass started falling on us.” He mourned with his young nephew, Samir al-Mashharawi, a 12-year-old who was bandaged on his head and wrists and who lost his parents and siblings in the same attack.
The Israeli military announced plans for new assaults in three neighborhoods west of Gaza City and issued evacuation warnings on social media.
Ophir Falk, Netanyahu’s foreign policy advisor, told The Associated Press that “Hamas, unfortunately, understands military pressure.”
Approximately 600 Palestinians have been killed since Israel resumed its war on Tuesday. Israel had already cut off the supply of food, fuel, and humanitarian aid to Gaza’s roughly 2 million Palestinians, aiming to pressure Hamas over ceasefire negotiations.
The international community has condemned the resumed attacks.
The initial 2023 attack by Hamas-led militants resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and the capture of 251 hostages. Most hostages have been freed through ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered the bodies of others.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has resulted in the deaths of more than 49,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which states that more than half of those killed were women and children. Israel claims to have killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.
Tens of thousands of Israelis again protested on Saturday against the government’s failure to negotiate a hostage deal and its move to fire the head of the country’s Shin Bet internal security service, calling for new elections.
The Supreme Court has ordered a temporary halt to the dismissal until an appeal is heard. Israel’s attorney general has ruled that the Cabinet has no legal basis to dismiss him.
Netanyahu stated late Saturday that Bar “will not remain the head of the Shin Bet” and “Israel will remain a democratic state.” He argued that his loss of confidence in Bar long predates the Shin Bet investigation into illicit ties between several of his aides and Qatar.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called for a tax rebellion and general strike if the government defies the court ruling, saying: “If this happens, the entire country needs to grind to a halt.”