BEIRUT: Confrontations between Hezbollah and the Israeli army continued to escalate and grow in intensity on on Tuesday.
Five members of Hezbollah were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a three-story building in the village of Mayfadoun in Nabatieh district, which was carried out with the involvement of the Israeli Security Agency, commonly known as the Shin Bet. Three of the dead were said to have “responsibilities” within the party.
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, called on “the international community to stop the Israeli attacks and threats against Lebanon,” warning that “the Israeli aggression in Beirut’s southern suburbs has heightened fears of confrontations that could lead to a full-scale war.”
In a message posted on social media platform X, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee confirmed that “air force warplanes, guided by intelligence from Shin Bet and military intelligence” attacked a military building in the Nabatieh area used by Hezbollah forces on the southern front.
Smoke could be seen rising from the target of the Mayfadoun strike, which was said to have been reduced to a concrete skeleton. Security reports indicated that the Israeli army used “highly destructive vacuum bombs,” more formally known as thermobaric weapons, which are particularly lethal to anyone caught in the blast zone.
In another post, Adraee said Israeli warplanes also carried out an airstrike “on a Hezbollah military building” in the town of Khiam.
In response, Hezbollah launched a series of operations that caused emergency sirens to sound in Western and Upper Galilee, Acre and Haifa, where explosions were heard for the first time in this conflict.
Israeli media reported that armed drones hit a vehicle and military base in Nahariya, causing injuries. Israeli Army Radio said “17 people were injured in a Hezbollah drone attack” on Nahariya and the outskirts of Acre.
Hezbollah said the attack was “a response to a specific aggression,” which seemed to confirm that there would be further retaliation to the targeting of Mayfadoun and Khiam, and that this was separate from its response to the assassination of senior Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in a southern suburb of Beirut last week.
The Lebanese people continue to fear that the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel will continue to escalate into a full-blown war.
Their concerns were articulated by Mikati, who said: “The recent Israeli aggression in the southern suburbs of Beirut has exacerbated the complexities of the current circumstances and heightened concerns about possible confrontations that could lead to a comprehensive war.
“The threats posed by Israel towards Lebanon are part of a psychological warfare strategy aimed at the Lebanese populace. Regrettably, some people are exacerbating this situation by discussing potential dates for attacks and justifying their objectives.
“It is widely acknowledged that the fundamental solution lies in halting Israeli aggression and assaults, as well as stopping the aggression against the Palestinian people and giving them their legitimate rights.”
He added: “We will spare no effort to halt the Israeli aggression and threats, and restore stability to Lebanon. Additionally, the relevant government agencies are actively engaged in various fields to keep pace with all developments.”
Hezbollah said several members were killed in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, including Hassan Mansour from Jebchit; Ali Mustafa Shams Al-Din, said to have been born in 2003, from Majdal Selm; and Hussein Ali Yassin, born in 1993, from Sultaniyah.
