Israeli defence minister says Hezbollah will 'pay an ever-increasing price' as group vows retaliation for device attacks
Israel has stepped up its attacks on southern Lebanon, launching dozens of airstrikes amid fears of a wider escalation in the region.
Israeli warplanes attacked the towns of Mahmoudieh, Ksar al-Aroush and Birket Jabbour in the Jezzine area on Thursday, the Lebanese National News Agency reported.
Three unnamed Lebanese security sources told Reuters news agency it was one of the heaviest bombardments since the start of the Gaza war in October, when Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group began exchanging cross-border fire.
The Israeli military said it had targeted “approximately 30 Hezbollah rocket launchers” and had also hit other infrastructure and artillery in the Naqoura area. It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties.
At a news conference Thursday, Israel’s defense minister said Hezbollah “will pay an ever-increasing price” as Israel tries to make conditions near its border with Lebanon safe enough for residents who have fled cross-border attacks to return.
“The sequence of our military actions will continue,” Yoav Gallant said.
In a speech Thursday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said pager and walkie-talkie attacks against its members in Lebanon and Syria this week crossed “all red lines” and that the group would retaliate.
In recent weeks, Israeli leaders have stepped up warnings of a possible major military operation against Hezbollah, saying they are determined to stop the group's fire to allow tens of thousands of Israelis to return to their homes near the border.
In his first speech since Tuesday and Wednesday’s attacks, Nasrallah acknowledged that Hezbollah had suffered an “unprecedented” blow from the blasts, which killed 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 in two days. Nasrallah said Hezbollah would continue its operations against Israel “until the aggression on Gaza ceases.”
Hamas said it “highly appreciates” Hezbollah’s support and that Nasrallah’s stance thwarted “Israel’s plans to undermine the front of support for our people and the resistance in the Gaza Strip.”
Israel has not commented on the device's explosions.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas would “lower the temperature” in the region, but also said the United States was “unwavering” in the face of any Iranian-backed threat.
A preliminary investigation by Lebanese authorities found the devices were rigged with explosives before they arrived in the country, according to a letter from the Lebanese mission to the United Nations seen by Reuters.
Authorities also determined that the devices, which included pagers and portable radios, were detonated by electronic messages, according to the letter sent to the UN Security Council.
Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in a mostly low-level conflict since Israel launched an attack on Gaza on Oct. 7 that has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians.
In late July, Israel killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut, and hours later, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, sparking fears of an escalation.
