CAIRO – Intense Israeli military activity in southern Lebanon has resulted in a significant rise in casualties, with continued artillery shelling and airstrikes intensifying conflicts in the region since early Tuesday.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Lebanese military sources, who wished to remain anonymous, reported that approximately 150 artillery shells were fired by Israel into over 30 towns and villages along the southern Lebanese border area from Monday night into Tuesday morning. Additionally, Israeli drones and warplanes conducted 15 raids on 12 towns and villages at dawn. The region also witnessed heavy drone surveillance and movements of Israeli armored forces along the border.
Early Tuesday, an Israeli raid tragically resulted in the deaths of six individuals in the home of Hassan Maqdah, identified as the son of Munir Maqdah, who leads the Lebanese branch of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a faction of the Palestinian group Fatah. In retaliation, Hezbollah launched rocket attacks into central Israel, including Tel Aviv, causing moderate injuries to one individual and triggering alarms across central Israel and parts of the northern West Bank.
The Israeli military has confirmed the crossing of several projectiles from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with some being intercepted. Among the injured from the rocket attacks was a 54-year-old bus driver who suffered moderate injuries due to shrapnel.
The Israeli military had previously cautioned about the attacks and advised civilians in southern Lebanon to relocate north of the Litani River. This escalation marks a continuing pattern of hostilities, including the ongoing operation “Arrows of the North,” which the Israeli army initiated on September 23 against Lebanon, paralleling the conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli army have been ongoing since October 8, 2023, amid concerns of an expanding regional conflict.