Israel Responds to Deadly Hezbollah Attack, Threatens To Hold Lebanon Accountable

(Worthy News) – In retaliation for the death of an Israeli soldier and the injury of several others due to rocket fire, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a widespread series of strikes against Hezbollah targets within Lebanese territory on Wednesday, according to the IDF.

At least 11 rockets launched from Lebanon struck Safed and an army base in the northern city, resulting in the death of an Israeli soldier and injuries to eight others, according to military and medical officials.

Several hours after an initial report, the IDF announced that its fighter jets executed a “widespread” series of airstrikes across Lebanon, hitting Hezbollah locations, notably those associated with the terror group’s elite Radwan Force. The airstrikes targeted a range of sites including buildings, command centers, and various infrastructures in areas such as Jabal al-Braij, Kfar Houneh, Kafr Dunin, Aadchit, and Souaneh, according to the IDF in a statement.

“As we have made clear time and time again, Israel is not interested in a war on two fronts. But if provoked, we will respond forcefully,” said Israeli government spokesperson Ilana Stein.

Following a lethal rocket attack by Hezbollah terrorists on Wednesday, an Israeli government minister promised a “forceful” retaliation, also suggesting potential consequences for the Lebanese government.

“The IDF, through the Northern Command and all formations, has been working for four months to protect the north and push Hezbollah from the borderline,” National Unity Leader Benny Gantz said.

“Israel is in combat in the north all the time, and this morning we experienced a difficult event for which the response will come soon, and it will be powerful,” Gantz continued.

“It is important that we be clear – the party responsible for the shooting from Lebanon is not only Hezbollah or the terrorist elements that carry it out, but also the government of Lebanon and the state of Lebanon which allows the shooting from its territory and there is no target or military infrastructure in the area of the north and Lebanon that is not in our sights,” Gantz concluded sending a veiled threat to the Lebanese government.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization has been trading fire with the Israeli military across Lebanon’s southern border in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas, which launched a devastating assault in Israel on October 7 in which some 1,200 Israelis were massacred and 253 were taken hostage into Gaza.

Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, said on Tuesday that his terror group’s cross-border shelling into Israel would only end when Israel’s “aggression” on the Gaza Strip stops, and claimed diplomatic efforts so far to bring a halt to hostilities along the border have so far seemed to only benefit Israel.

“On that day, when the shooting stops in Gaza, we will stop the shooting in the south,” Nasrallah stated in a televised address on Tuesday.

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