Hezbollah has launched a significant rocket barrage at northern Israel, marking one of the largest attacks since the beginning of the war in Gaza. The launch of nearly 100 projectiles on Wednesday morning followed the killing of senior Hezbollah commander Taleb Abdullah in southeastern Lebanon the previous evening.
This incident has heightened concerns of an escalating military confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah, with both parties expressing readiness for a potential war.
Hezbollah launched a large rocket attack on northern Israel, one of the biggest since the Gaza war started. They fired nearly 100 rockets on Wednesday morning, following the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander, Taleb Abdullah, in southeastern Lebanon the night before. This has raised concerns about a potential military conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, with both sides saying they are ready for war.
The Israeli military confirmed the strike that killed Abdullah and three other Hezbollah fighters and stated that around 90 rockets were fired from Lebanon, causing sirens to go off in multiple northern Israeli communities.
Many of these rockets were intercepted, though some caused fires upon landing. No casualties were reported. Following this, Israeli warplanes were shown attacking what they identified as the rocket launch site in Yaroun, southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based armed group with ties to Iran, acknowledged Abdullah’s death in an airstrike in the town of Jouaiyya. Abdullah, also known as Hajj Abu Taleb, commanded a Hezbollah division along the western sector of the front line between Israel and the Litani River.
He is the second Hezbollah commander to be mourned since October 7, with the first being Wissam al-Tawil, deputy head of the elite Radwan unit, who was killed in January.
The escalation in hostilities is reflective of increasing tensions as both Israel and Hezbollah have indicated a willingness to expand their military confrontation amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Ground fighting has largely been restricted to border skirmishes, but Hezbollah has been attempting to contest Israel’s air superiority over Lebanon. Recently, Hezbollah downed an Israeli Hermes 900 drone using a surface-to-air missile and fired missiles at Israeli aircraft.
Despite these developments, Israel continues to conduct airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, with no immediate end to the conflict in sight. Meanwhile, Hamas has communicated its response to the latest ceasefire proposal to mediators, which includes conditions for a prisoner exchange and plans for the reconstruction of Gaza.