The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has taken a dramatic turn, with an attempted drone attack on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence raising the stakes significantly.
The incident occurred on Saturday, while Netanyahu and his wife were away from their home in the central town of Caesarea. While no casualties were reported, the prime minister described the attack as a “grave mistake” by Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group backed by Iran.
In response to the attack, Israel launched a series of air strikes on southern Lebanon, targeting dozens of locations, including the city of Nabatiyeh. These strikes were conducted for the third time this week, targeting Hezbollah positions and infrastructure.
The Israeli military stated that it had “struck and eliminated over 65 Hezbollah terrorists… and struck dozens of Hezbollah terror targets” in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, Hezbollah confirmed launching various rocket barrages at Israel, including a “big rocket salvo” aimed at an Israeli military base east of the northern town of Safed.
Following the escalation, Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke with former US President Donald Trump, reiterating that Israel will make its decisions based on its national interests, while taking into account concerns raised by the US administration.
Adding fuel to the fire, Iran has vowed to continue supporting Hezbollah in its fight against Israel. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Hamas, Hezbollah, and allied Iranian-backed groups in the region will continue fighting. He emphasized that Hamas is a “reality in Palestine that no one can ignore, no one can destroy.”
This latest escalation follows Israel’s pledge to respond to Iran’s October 1 attack on Israeli territory. Tehran had claimed to have fired 200 missiles at Israel in retaliation for the killing of an Iranian general and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began in late September and has already resulted in the deaths of at least 1,454 people in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally of Lebanese health ministry figures.