Hezbollah and Israel trade heavy fire as conflict escalates

Hezbollah and Israel exchanged intense fire Sunday, with the Lebanese militant group launching rockets deep into northern Israel following one of the heaviest bombardments of the year.

As reported by Reuters, Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, declared a "new phase" in the conflict, calling it an "open-ended battle of reckoning" during a funeral for a commander killed in last week’s Israeli strikes on Beirut.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant indicated the fighting would continue until it was safe for evacuated residents near the border to return, signaling a drawn-out conflict as Hezbollah has vowed to keep fighting until a ceasefire is reached in the Gaza war.

Israel's military chief, Herzi Halevi, said the military is prepared for the next stages of the conflict, without specifying what that would involve. "We will do whatever it takes to remove threats against Israel," Halevi said in a televised address.

The escalation marks the sharpest rise in hostilities since Hezbollah opened a second front in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s offensive in Gaza. The fighting surged after thousands of Hezbollah communication devices exploded on Tuesday and Wednesday in a suspected Israeli attack, though Israel has not confirmed responsibility.

Israel responded with its heaviest bombardment of Lebanon to date, targeting Hezbollah positions. An Israeli airstrike on Friday in Beirut’s southern suburb killed 45 people, including senior Hezbollah commanders Ibrahim Aqil and Ahmed Wahbi, according to Lebanese health officials. Hezbollah confirmed 16 of its members were among the dead.

In response, Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at Israeli military targets and industrial facilities. On Saturday, Israel struck 290 targets, including Hezbollah rocket launchers.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to intensify the campaign. "We have inflicted blows on Hezbollah that it never imagined," he said. "If Hezbollah has not understood the message, I promise you, it will."

Air raid sirens echoed across northern Israel on Sunday as Hezbollah launched about 150 rockets, missiles, and drones, most of which were intercepted. Several buildings were hit, including a house near Haifa, but no fatalities were reported. Israel has closed schools, restricted gatherings, and moved patients in hospitals to secure areas.

Hezbollah said its strikes targeted Israeli military positions in retaliation for the attacks on its communication devices. Meanwhile, Iran-backed factions in Iraq launched their own missile attacks in solidarity with Hezbollah.

The U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, warned of an "imminent catastrophe," urging both sides to seek a peaceful resolution. Lebanon’s top Christian cleric, Bechara Boutros al-Rai, expressed condolences for the casualties on both sides and appealed to the U.N. Security Council to intervene.

Tens of thousands of residents have fled both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border since Hezbollah joined the conflict. The war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas’s deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel, has resulted in over 41,300 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

[Information sourced from Reuters]