Hezbollah announced today (Sunday) that it targeted a military site in northern Israel “in response to the assassination” of an Islamic Jihad leader in eastern Lebanon. This announcement comes hours after Hezbollah released a video identifying locations in Israel with their coordinates, amidst fears of escalating tensions between the two sides due to mutual threats.
The Islamic Jihad, a faction close to Hamas, mourned on Tuesday the death of Ayman Ghotmeh, who was “martyred on Saturday afternoon in a treacherous Zionist airstrike” in the town of Khiyara in Western Beqaa. Israel confirmed carrying out the strike, stating that the target was responsible for supplying weapons to his faction and Hamas in the region.
Hezbollah stated that its fighters launched an “aerial attack with a loitering munition on a military command headquarters” in the Beit Hillel barracks, targeting “the positions and settlements of its officers and soldiers.”
In a second statement, Hezbollah announced an “aerial attack with a swarm of loitering munitions on a newly established command headquarters northeast of Safed.” It said that the attacks, which targeted “the positions and settlements of Israeli officers and soldiers at both sites,” were “in response to the assassination carried out by the Israeli enemy in the town of Khiyara.”
The Israeli army, in turn, reported that an “enemy drone from Lebanon” penetrated northern Israel and “fell in the Beit Hillel area without causing injuries.” The army explained that during the incident, “an interception missile was fired at the drone, and alarms were activated fearing falling shrapnel.”
Since the unprecedented attack by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire almost daily. Other groups, both Lebanese and Palestinian, have occasionally joined in launching rockets from southern Lebanon towards northern Israel.
Last week saw a rise in tensions between Hezbollah and Israel following the killing of a senior Hezbollah leader in an Israeli strike.
The Israeli army announced on Tuesday that it had “approved operational plans for an attack on Lebanon,” while Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah warned the following day that no place in Israel “would be safe” from his party’s missiles if war breaks out.
After Hezbollah, backed by Tehran, published a video on Tuesday showing a comprehensive survey of Haifa and its surroundings, identifying key military and civilian sites, it seemed to list potential targets in case of war with Israel. Late yesterday (Saturday), the party released another video.
The video, titled “To Whom It May Concern,” identifies several locations in Israel, providing their coordinates without naming them. It includes an excerpt from Nasrallah’s recent speech, in which he said, “If war is imposed on Lebanon, the resistance will fight without restraints or rules.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned the “hostile rhetoric” from both Israel and Hezbollah, warning of a catastrophe “beyond imagination,” emphasizing that Lebanon cannot become “another Gaza.”
Since the escalation began, 480 people have been killed in Lebanon, including at least 93 civilians and 313 Hezbollah fighters, according to a count based on party data and official Lebanese sources.
On the Israeli side, 15 soldiers and 11 civilians have been reported killed.
