Tel Aviv — Fear of a possible large-scale war between Israel and the Hamas-linked militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon was elated on Thursday after a top Hezbollah commander was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Israel said the commander it killed on Wednesday, Mohammad Naameh Nasser, was responsible for firing rockets into Israel. Hezbollah — a group that, like Hamas, is backed by Iran but is believed to be larger and far better armed — responded with a new barrage of rockets.
Hezbollah has stepped up its efforts to attack since Israel, which shares its northern border with Lebanon, war in Gaza in response to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack. Hezbollah has said it will not stop firing rockets into Israel until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces said it intercepted drones and other projectiles fired from southern Lebanon on Thursday, and that some of the falling debris sparked fires on the ground. The army reported no casualties but said it responded to the Hezbollah fire by “striking launch sites in southern Lebanon.”
The escalating gun battles across the border have been deadly. Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported at least 435 deaths on that side of the border as of June 26. About 90 of those killed by Israeli shelling were civilians, the Al Jazeera network reported.
According to previous statements by Israeli authorities, at least 27 people have been killed in Israel by Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks since October, including 10 civilians.
The fighting has also led to an exodus, forcing tens of thousands of people in both northern Israel and southern Lebanon to flee their homes and cross the border region.
Israel and Hezbollah fought a bloody war in 2006, and the US government has expressed concern about the prospect of a large-scale war that could lead to major problems Iranian proxy groups in the region to attack US troops in neighboring countries. They have done this several times since October, including a drone attack on a US base in Jordan that three American soldiers killed in January.
The Biden administration has tried to prevent this through both public diplomacy and behind closed doors.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Wednesday that his country prefers a diplomatic solution, but “if reality forces us, we know how to fight.”
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