Cross-border clashes erupt as Hezbollah, Israel trade fire
Israel and Lebanon exchanged heavy fire into Sunday, with Israeli warplanes conducting the most intense offensive in southern Lebanon in nearly a year, while Hezbollah claimed rocket attacks on military targets in northern Israel.
As tensions escalated, Israel implemented security measures in northern regions and the Golan Heights on Sunday, closing schools and limiting public gatherings.
Overnight, air raid sirens sounded repeatedly as rockets and missiles were launched from Lebanon and Iraq. Israeli defense systems intercepted most of the projectiles, according to the military.
Hezbollah announced that it targeted Israel’s Ramat David Airbase with dozens of missiles in retaliation for “repeated Israeli attacks on Lebanon,” according to a statement on its Telegram channel. These strikes marked Hezbollah’s deepest attacks on Israel since hostilities began.
Iran-backed Iraqi militants also claimed responsibility for an explosive drone attack on Israel early Sunday.
The escalation follows an Israeli airstrike on Hezbollah commanders on Friday, which killed at least 37 people, including senior leader Ibrahim Aqil and commander Ahmed Wahbi, in Beirut, the deadliest strike in nearly a year of conflict.
Hezbollah vowed to continue its fight until Israel agrees to a ceasefire in its war against Hamas in Gaza, following Hamas’s October 7 rampage in southern Israel.
However, U.S. officials indicate that a ceasefire is unlikely soon. Israel demands Hezbollah’s withdrawal from the border region in compliance with a 2006 U.N. resolution, regardless of any Gaza-related negotiations.
Recent pager explosions in Lebanon have heightened regional tensions. Lebanon and Hezbollah have accused Israel of orchestrating the attacks, claiming explosive charges were planted in imported devices and remotely detonated.
The international community has widely condemned the attacks, with human rights groups warning of the risks to civilian lives and violations of international humanitarian law.
