Hezbollah Launches Retaliatory Drone Attack on Israeli Military Base

The Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for a drone attack targeting an Israeli military base. This attack was carried out in retaliation for the recent killings of a senior Hezbollah commander and the deputy leader of the Hamas militant group.

Hamas has stated that the drone was aimed at attacking the Israeli base in Safed, which is located approximately 10 kilometers from the Israel-Lebanon border.

The Israeli military has confirmed that interceptors were launched to counter several aircraft that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory. Fortunately, no casualties or damage were reported as a result of this incident.

In a separate development, security officials have reported that an Israeli drone strike took place in southern Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of three individuals.

This latest attack comes just a day after an Israeli strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon claimed the life of a Hezbollah commander identified as Wissam al-Tawil. According to a security official, al-Tawil played a significant role in Hezbollah’s operations in the area. While Israel has acknowledged targeting Hezbollah on that day, it has not commented on the death of al-Tawil.

Al-Tawil’s death marks the most senior Hezbollah militant killed since the unexpected attack by Hamas on October 7th, which triggered a full-scale war in Gaza and sporadic clashes between Israel and Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, Israel has continued its air and ground campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Recent airstrikes have targeted central Gaza and the Khan Younis area in the south. The Israeli military has claimed the lives of approximately 40 Palestinian militants in Khan Younis.

Reports from residents in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza suggest that Israeli forces have engaged in shelling and gun battles with militants in the area.

The United Nations has expressed grave concerns regarding the impact of the ongoing conflict on civilians in Gaza. The majority of the population has been forced to flee their homes, while humanitarian workers and health facilities face significant challenges in providing aid.

Highlighting the severity of the situation, the U.N. humanitarian agency stated, “The intensifying offensive in Gaza’s Middle Area and Khan Younis is causing rapidly rising casualties and having devastating consequences for tens of thousands of civilians, many of whom had already fled for safety from Gaza city and the north to the Middle Area.”

Furthermore, the agency mentioned that Israeli authorities have repeatedly denied attempts by humanitarian partners to deliver urgent medical supplies to northern Gaza, leaving five hospitals without crucial life-saving resources and equipment.

Israeli officials have made it clear that the fighting will continue for several more months as the army strives to eliminate Hamas’ control over the Gaza Strip. Their objective is to put an end to the threat posed by the militant group and secure the release of the 129 hostages believed to be still held by Hamas.

In the October attack, Hamas killed approximately 1,200 people and captured 240 hostages. Since then, the Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry reports that Israel’s counteroffensive has resulted in the deaths of over 23,200 Palestinians, leaving large portions of Gaza in ruins and displacing 85% of its 2.3 million population.

Some material for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters.