Israel’s military announced on Tuesday that Hezbollah fired approximately 300 rockets and other projectiles into Israel on the second day of the most intense assaults on Lebanon since 2006. An explosive drone landed in Atlit, a coastal town south of Haifa, marking the first instance of Hezbollah’s fire reaching this area, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday night. Two more drones were reportedly aimed at the region but were intercepted. Fortunately, the drones resulted in no casualties, as per Israel’s rescue services. The majority of the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s aerial defense systems, the army said.
Here are the ten latest updates on escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah:
1. Hezbollah acknowledged the assault, declaring its fighters executed “an aerial operation with a squadron of assault drones against the headquarters of Israel’s special naval task unit Shayetet 13 in the Atlit base, targeting the positions of its officers and soldiers and striking the targets precisely,” Xinhua news agency reported.
2. In some incidents, rockets or parts of interceptor missiles that fell to the ground ignited fires in the Mount Meron area of Upper Galilee. In Rosh Pina, a town in Upper Galilee, a residential building sustained significant damage.
3. Hospitals in the impacted regions reported treating about 23 individuals; however, later statements from Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency health service clarified that those treated were suffering from panic rather than physical injuries.
4. As night fell, Israel launched a fresh wave of assaults in Lebanon. The Air Force “conducted a number of extensive strikes on dozens of terrorist targets belonging to Hezbollah in the Beqaa region and several other areas in southern Lebanon,” the military announced.
5. Throughout the day, Israeli warplanes maintained their massive strikes, which, according to the military, dismantled “dozens” of facilities where weapons were stored and numerous launchers aimed at Israeli territory.
6. On Tuesday night, unnamed Lebanese military sources informed Xinhua that Israeli warplanes executed ten raids on towns in the Tyre region deep in southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah sites in the Jezzine area, also in southern Lebanon.
7. Amid this sharp escalation, the Israeli military conducted an exercise simulating combat within Lebanon, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant noted that “the series of blows on Hezbollah’s command chain, operatives, and weapons were tough.”
8. Gallant further claimed Israel has destroyed “tens of thousands” of rockets, missiles, and launchers since Monday. During a press briefing on Monday night, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari neither confirmed nor denied the possibility of a ground operation in Lebanon.
9. Israel initiated its most extensive bombardment of Lebanon since 2006 on Monday, resulting in over 550 fatalities, including civilians, and more than 1,800 injuries nationwide.
10. This escalation has raised alarms about a potential full-scale conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, with concerns that other nations may also become involved.
