Tensions soar as Hezbollah targets northern Israel with missiles
The conflict in the Middle East is intensifying. On Saturday, October 26, the Israeli military reported that Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant organization supported by Iran, launched approximately 80 ballistic missiles toward northern Israel.
26 October 2024 18:59
On Saturday, Iran-backed Hezbollah launched 80 ballistic missiles toward northern Israel. The Lebanese militant organization deemed the nighttime Israeli retaliatory attack on military targets in Iran a "dangerous escalation."
Hezbollah, in turn, reported that it conducted rocket attacks on five populated areas in northern Israel, including the suburbs of Haifa. The organization also claimed responsibility for launching drones towards the Tel Nof airbase, located about 10 kilometres south of Tel Aviv, and a rocket barrage towards the intelligence base in the city of Safed.
The attacks followed Israel's targeted shelling of military facilities in Iran overnight from Friday to Saturday, which resulted in the deaths of two Iranian soldiers. Israeli authorities stated that this was in response to the Iranian shelling of Israel earlier in October.
Escalation of the conflict in the Middle East
At the same time, according to the Lebanese news agency ANI, the Israeli military shelled houses in the village of Al-Adaysseh in southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel. According to Lebanon's Ministry of Health, a rescue worker affiliated with Hezbollah was killed in the shelling.
The health ministry also reported that since October 2023, 2,653 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon, including 19 on Friday. The exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah has been ongoing for months but has recently intensified.
The Israeli government declares its goal is to ensure safety in the north of the country so that tens of thousands of civilians evacuated due to Hezbollah attacks can return. The Lebanese organization emphasizes that it initiated attacks on Israel in solidarity with Palestinian Hamas and will cease if a truce in the Gaza Strip is reached.
Let us recall: Palestinian Hamas attacked Israel in October of last year using several thousand rockets and also infiltrated the country by land. Israel responded to the attack by launching air raids and bombings in the Gaza Strip. Today, we know how tragic the toll of this war is. Civilians have paid the highest price. More than 40,000 Palestinians have died, the humanitarian crisis is escalating, and people are living in horrific conditions.
