Israel conducted airstrikes in southern Lebanon, on Thursday, claiming to have thwarted an assassination plot allegedly orchestrated by Iranian forces.
This development followed a series of explosions targeting Hezbollah’s communication systems, which had resulted in significant casualties—37 dead and approximately 3,000 injured over just two days—instigating widespread panic among the Lebanese populace, who began abandoning their mobile phones in fear.
“This isn’t a small matter; it’s war. Who can even secure their phone now? When I heard about what happened yesterday, I left my phone on my motorcycle and walked away,” expressed Mustafa Sibal, a resident near central Beirut.
In the skies above Beirut, the sound of Israeli jets breaking the sound barrier was reported by Lebanese state media, a phenomenon that has become increasingly frequent in recent months.
Israel confirmed that its warplanes struck multiple villages in southern Lebanon overnight, and both security sources and Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV indicated that airstrikes near the border resumed shortly after midday on Thursday.
The series of detonations began on Wednesday when handheld radios used by Hezbollah exploded across southern Lebanon. The Lebanese health minister updated the casualty figures, confirming that 25 people had died and 608 were injured in the deadliest incident since the resurgence of cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, coinciding with the ongoing Gaza conflict.
The day prior, a large number of pagers, utilized by Hezbollah to evade mobile phone surveillance, detonated simultaneously, resulting in the deaths of 12 individuals, including two children, and injuring over 2,300 others.
In response, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on the United Nations Security Council to take a decisive stance against Israel’s “aggression” and “technological war” against Lebanon.
While Israel has not publicly commented on the use of the booby-trapped communication devices, various security sources allege that these attacks were orchestrated by the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad.
Israel views its ongoing conflict with Hezbollah, much like its operations in Gaza against Hamas, as part of a broader regional confrontation with Iran, which supports both groups as well as other armed factions in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.
On Thursday, Israeli security forces revealed that an Israeli businessman had been arrested last month after attending meetings in Iran, where he allegedly discussed plans to assassinate high-ranking officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the defense minister, and the head of the Shin Bet spy agency.
Last week, the Shin Bet uncovered an alleged plot by Hezbollah to assassinate former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon.
Israel has been linked to several high-profile assassinations, including an explosion in Tehran that killed a Hamas leader and another in a Beirut suburb that took the life of a senior Hezbollah commander, both occurring within hours of each other in July.
Despite these troubling developments, a spokesperson for the U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon reported that the situation along the border has remained relatively stable regarding exchanges of fire between the conflicting parties.
Andrea Tenenti, the spokesperson, noted, “There was an intensification last week, but this week it is more or less the same. There are still exchanges of fire. It is still worrying, still concerning, and the rhetoric is high.”
As the conflict unfolds, both Israel and Hezbollah continue to exchange fire across the border amid Israel’s military campaign in Gaza against Hamas, which launched an attack on October 7. Tens of thousands of residents have been displaced on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border, prompting Netanyahu to promise the safe return of evacuated Israelis.
The Israeli military announced that its recent airstrikes targeted Hezbollah installations in several villages, including Chihine, Tayibe, Blida, Meiss El Jabal, Aitaroun, and Kfarkela, as well as a weapons storage facility in Khiam. While Israeli media reported injuries to several Israeli civilians from anti-tank missile fire originating from Lebanon, no official confirmation has been provided.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated on Wednesday that the conflict was entering a new phase, with additional resources and military units being deployed to the northern border. This includes the 98th Division, an elite unit comprising commandos and paratroopers that has been actively engaged in Gaza.
Hezbollah had launched missile barrages at Israel the day after Hamas’s initial attack on October 7, leading to ongoing exchanges of fire that both sides have been careful to avoid escalating into a full-scale war. Nevertheless, the situation remains precarious, and there is increasing pressure in Israel for the government to ensure the safe return of those who have been evacuated from the border areas.
