In a recent escalation of tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, Hertzi Halevi, announced that his forces are preparing for offensive steps inside Lebanon.
During an inspection tour in the Golan Heights, Halevi stated that the Israeli military is focusing on confronting Hezbollah, noting that the attacks carried out over the past month have resulted in a significant number of Hezbollah fighters killed.
Halevi added that the Israeli military aims to mitigate threats to residents in the northern region and the Golan Heights, aligning with preparations for a forthcoming offensive, although no further details were provided.
Prior to this, intense Israeli airstrikes resumed in southern Lebanon, with Israeli media reporting that the Air Force targeted rocket launch platforms in several southern Lebanese towns, including Beit Lif, Aytaroun, Dahiya, and Kafr Kila.
Simultaneously, Israeli artillery launched attacks coordinated with the air strikes.
Since the escalation began, Hezbollah has primarily targeted Israeli military sites in attacks launched from southern Lebanon, stating these were in support of Gaza and its resistance. In response, Israel targets what it describes as “military infrastructure” of the group, in addition to movements of its fighters.
On the morning of August 25, a large-scale confrontation occurred, with Hezbollah announcing the launch of hundreds of rockets and drones targeting Israeli locations, including a military intelligence base near Tel Aviv. This was in retaliation for the assassination of its senior military leader, Fouad Shukr, in an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut on July 30.
Israel declared that it thwarted “a significant part of the attack” by Hezbollah through preemptive strikes on southern Lebanon.
Since the escalation commenced, at least 610 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 394 Hezbollah members and 135 civilians, based on official data and announcements from Hezbollah and other groups.
In Israel, authorities have reported at least 24 military and 26 civilian deaths, including 12 in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan.
