The Israeli military announced the reinforcement of its ground forces along the Lebanon border and the expansion of its operations at several border points, leading to violent clashes with Hezbollah fighters across various Lebanese towns.
According to Al Arabiya/Al Hadath reporters on Monday, Israeli attacks and air strikes targeted border towns including Yaroun, Yarin, Kafar Kila, and Maroun al-Ras, as well as Bint Jbeil and the coastal city of Tyre. Columns of smoke were seen rising as the Israeli military also targeted Blida and other areas.
In a devastating strike, the Lebanese Ministry of Health confirmed that an Israeli airstrike targeted a building housing the Union of Bint Jbeil Municipalities in the south, killing ten firefighters.
Hezbollah, in a statement, claimed to have fired dozens of rockets towards Upper Galilee and the city of Haifa. Correspondents from Al Arabiya/Al Hadath reported that over 60 rockets were fired towards Israel today alone. The Israeli military later stated that approximately 135 rockets had been launched from southern Lebanon towards Israel.
Meanwhile, Tel Aviv witnessed rocket fire from Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, from southern Gaza. The Iron Dome intercepted some rockets, while others breached the defense system, despite previous Israeli assertions of having significantly degraded Hamas’s military capabilities.
On the same day, the Israeli military reported the death of a second soldier in today’s border clashes, bringing the total number of Israeli military fatalities to 12 since the beginning of what Israel termed a “limited ground operation” in southern Lebanon on October 1st.
Observers note that despite significant losses, including the assassination of its secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah on September 27, Hezbollah retains substantial rocket capabilities and combat-ready fighters. Since October 8 last year, following Hezbollah’s opening of a new front in support of Gaza, over 2,000 Lebanese have been killed and nearly a million have been displaced, according to official Lebanese statistics.
