In a retaliatory strike for the killing of one of its senior commanders, the Lebanese Hezbollah group launched over 200 rockets at several military bases in Israel on Thursday. However, there have been no reports of casualties so far. Israel reported that “numerous projectiles and suspicious aerial targets” had entered its territory from Lebanon, with many being intercepted.
On Wednesday, Israel acknowledged the killing of Mohammad Naameh Nasser, who headed one of Hezbollah’s three regional divisions in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah responded by launching scores of Katyusha and Falaq rockets with heavy warheads into northern Israel and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, according to an AFP report.
Siren alerts for rocket and air attacks were sounded across Israeli areas bordering Lebanon and in the annexed Golan Heights, as reported by AFP. The Israel Army reported 17 alerts over 90 minutes in different parts of the northern region, raising fears of escalating cross-border clashes between Hezbollah and Israel, potentially leading to an all-out war.
Another report suggests that Iraqi militant groups are ready to join the conflict against Israel and the United States. A field commander of the so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq warned of “escalation for escalation” in the event of a full-scale war in Lebanon. Speaking anonymously to AFP, the commander revealed that the Iran-backed group had already sent “experts and advisors” to Lebanon.
The current conflict, which began with the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacking southern Israel on October 7, has expanded to involve several pro-Iran armed groups in the “Axis of Resistance”. These groups express solidarity with the Palestinians and demand an end to the Israeli offensive in Gaza. The alliance includes Hezbollah, Yemen’s Huthi rebels, and armed groups in Syria and Iraq, who have attacked Israel and Israeli-linked shipping.
