The airstrikes focused on targets near the city of Ghaziyeh, deep within Lebanon and around 30 miles from Israel's northern border. This is the first time since Hamas' attack on Israel in Oct. 7 that Israel struck targets far from the Lebanese border.
Ghaziyeh is Lebanon's third largest city and is populated mostly by Lebanese Sunni Muslims – a population generally opposed to the Shia Muslim-majority Hezbollah. Ghaziyeh is also far away from any known Shia-dominated regions of Lebanon where Hezbollah holds more political and military sway.
In a statement, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari claimed that the Israeli airstrikes were targeting Hezbollah weapons depots and were in retaliation for a previous Hezbollah explosive attack on northern Israel.
Previous Israeli strikes on Lebanon were confined to southern Lebanon within a few miles of the border on both sides. (Related: Israel warns it will extend military offensive to Lebanon if Hezbollah attacks don't cease.)
Lebanese media reported that the extent of casualties is currently unknown, but the strike has raised concerns about the potential for civilian harm and further escalation.
In response to the intensifying situation, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned that Israel would pay "in blood" for the civilian casualties resulting from the recent events.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz reiterated a warning to Lebanon, stating that if diplomatic efforts failed to remove Hezbollah from the border zone, the country would "pay a heavy price."
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Israel reportedly targeting Hamas officials in Lebanon
An Israeli security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, identified the target as Hamas official Basel Saleh, reportedly responsible for recruiting new Hamas members in both Gaza and the West Bank.
The incident further contributes to the heightened tensions in the Middle East, including the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, a drone attack last month that claimed the lives of three U.S. troops in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, and attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels on vessels passing through the Red Sea.
Lebanese security officials disclosed that the strike damaged a car and resulted in two casualties, including an individual on a motorcycle.
Lebanese troops swiftly cordoned off the area as tensions rose. Notably, drone strikes in Lebanon attributed to Israel have previously targeted several officials from Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The previous farthest strike occurred on January 2, killing top Hamas official Saleh Arouri in Beirut.
Additionally, on the same night, Israeli forces shelled the southern Lebanese border village of Houla, leading to one fatality and nine injuries.
The attack occurred as people were leaving a mosque after prayers, and reports suggest that a drone fired a missile toward the mosque. Children were among the wounded, according to state-run National News Agency reports.
These events unfolded as Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, met with Lebanese leaders in Beirut, emphasizing the need for the United States to compel Israel to cease its military operations in the Gaza Strip if stability is to be restored in the region.
Amirabdollahian criticized the U.S. for allegedly supplying weapons to Israel while simultaneously advocating for a political solution to the ongoing conflict.
Watch this video from "The Santilli Report" as host Pete Santilli reacts to Israel escalating the conflict by bombing targets deep within Lebanon.
This video is from the channel The Resistance 1776 on Brighteon.com.
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