In the recent escalations between Hezbollah and Israel, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Hertzi Halevi, announced that his forces are preparing for offensive operations inside Lebanon. During an inspection tour in the Golan Heights, Halevi stated that the Israeli military is focused on confronting Hezbollah, noting that the attacks launched over the past month have resulted in a significant number of Hezbollah members killed.
Halevi further mentioned that the Israeli army aims to mitigate threats to the residents of the northern region and the Golan Heights, aligning with preparations for a later-stage attack, though he did not provide further details.
Previously, intense Israeli airstrikes resumed on southern Lebanon, targeting rocket launch platforms in several towns including Beit Leif, Aytaroun, Dheira, and Kafr Kila. Israeli artillery also launched simultaneous attacks with the airstrikes.
Since the escalation began, Hezbollah has primarily targeted Israeli military sites, launching attacks from southern Lebanon in support of Gaza and its resistance. In response, Israel has targeted what it describes as “military infrastructure” of the party, along with movements of its fighters. On the morning of August 25th, a large-scale confrontation occurred when Hezbollah announced the launch of hundreds of rockets and drones to strike Israeli locations, including a military intelligence base near Tel Aviv, in retaliation for the assassination of their senior military leader Fouad Shukr by an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut on July 30th.
In response, Israel declared that it prevented “a large part of the attack” launched by Hezbollah by conducting preemptive strikes in southern Lebanon.
Since the onset of escalation, at least 610 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 394 from Hezbollah and 135 civilians, according to counts based on official data and Hezbollah’s mourning announcements. In Israel, authorities have recorded the deaths of at least 24 military personnel and 26 civilians, including 12 killed in the occupied Syrian Golan.
