Israel attacked Lebanon on Saturday in retaliation for rocket fire targeting Israel. The exchange resulted in the deaths of two people, including a child, marking the most intense conflict since a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. This escalation underscores the fragility of the regional security situation.
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03-24, 2025The rocket fire from Lebanon, the second such incident since December of last year, raised concerns about the viability of the fragile ceasefire agreement. Hezbollah denied responsibility for Saturday's attack, stating it had "no connection" to the rocket launches and would continue to abide by the ceasefire. As of now, no organization has claimed responsibility for the attack, further complicating the situation.
Israel had stated it would respond "forcefully" to Saturday's attacks from Lebanon, when rockets struck northern Israel. The Israeli military said intercepted rockets were aimed at the Israeli town of Metula. The Lebanese Health Ministry stated that the attack on the southern village of Touline also injured eight people, highlighting the broader impact of the conflict.
Hezbollah began firing rockets, drones, and missiles into Israel the day after the Hamas-led attack from Gaza on October 7, 2023, triggered the war. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated into a full-blown war in September, with Israel launching massive airstrikes and killing most of the armed group's senior leaders. The fighting has resulted in over 400 deaths in Lebanon and the displacement of approximately 60,000 Israelis, demonstrating the significant human cost of the ongoing tensions.
Under the ceasefire agreement reached in November, Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw from all Lebanese territory by the end of January. Lebanon and Israel subsequently agreed to extend the deadline to February. However, since then, Israel remains stationed in five locations in Lebanon, overlooking northern Israeli communities across the river, and has carried out dozens of airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, claiming it was targeting Hezbollah, which continues to fuel regional instability.
Lebanon has called on the United Nations to pressure Israel to fully withdraw its troops from the country. The Israeli Prime Minister's office stated that it had instructed the military to take strong action against dozens of targets in Lebanon, adding, "Israel will never allow its citizens and sovereignty to be harmed in any way." The Israeli military said it was striking Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon and had hit dozens of the group's rocket launchers and a command center for Hezbollah operations, escalating the military response.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati requested in a statement that the Lebanese army take all necessary measures in the south, but said the country did not want a return to war. The United Nations said it was appalled by the possibility of escalating violence and urged all parties to avoid jeopardizing the progress made, stating that further escalation could have dire consequences for the region, emphasizing the urgent need for de-escalation.
The attacks occurred a day after Israel said it would operate in Gaza "with increasing intensity" until Hamas releases the 59 hostages it is holding, 24 of whom are believed to be alive. Israeli strikes killed at least nine people, including three children, in a house in Gaza City, according to Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the bodies. The Israeli military said its troops planned to launch new attacks on three neighborhoods west of Gaza City and issued warnings on social media for Palestinians to evacuate those areas, signaling a further intensification of military operations.
Israel bombed the only specialized cancer hospital in the war-torn territory. The Israeli military said it struck the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, accusing Hamas militants of operating from the site. Turkey, which helped build and fund the hospital, said Israeli forces had at one point used it as a base. Since Israel re-launched the war earlier this week, about 600 Palestinians have been killed, highlighting the devastating impact on civilian infrastructure.
Israel has cut off food, fuel, and humanitarian aid supplies to Gaza's approximately 2 million Palestinians in an effort to pressure Hamas into ceasefire negotiations. The renewed attacks have been condemned by the international community. The foreign ministers of Britain, France, and Germany called Israel's attacks in Gaza "a huge setback" in a statement on Friday. "We are appalled by the loss of civilian lives and urgently call for an immediate return to a sustainable ceasefire," they said in a joint statement, underscoring the urgency of a peaceful resolution.
The Hamas-led attack in 2023 killed about 1,200 people and resulted in the kidnapping of 251 hostages. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefire deals or other agreements. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered dozens of bodies. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 49,000 Palestinians. The ministry does not say how many were militants, but says more than half of the dead were women and children. Israel says it has killed about 20,000 militants but has provided no evidence, highlighting the difficulty in verifying casualty figures in the conflict.
