Israel attacks Hezbollah targets, fueling fears of escalation | Israel-Palestine conflict news

The Israeli military said it had struck several targets in neighboring Lebanon linked to Hezbollah.

In a post on X on Tuesday, the Israeli military said it struck 10 targets linked to the Iran-aligned armed group in at least seven different areas of southern Lebanon in overnight strikes. The attacks come amid growing concerns about the threat that the war in Gaza could spark a regional conflict.

The strikes, which the military said killed a Hezbollah fighter, came after Israeli authorities promised retaliation for a rocket attack that hit a playground in the Druze Arab town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Hezbollah denied carrying out the attack.

The Israeli military said it also “attacked a Hezbollah weapons storage facility, terrorist infrastructure sites, military structures and a launcher in southern Lebanon.”

Hezbollah confirmed that one of its fighters was killed, Reuters news agency reported.

‘We will respond’

Following the Majdal Shams attacks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the city on Sunday and promised a “severe response.”

The night raids announced on Tuesday marked at least three Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory since then.

A high-ranking Hezbollah source promised Al Jazeera that the armed group would respond to any Israeli aggression in Lebanon, including a ground invasion.

It was the first time Hezbollah commented on Israel’s threats of retaliation.

Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, quoted Hezbollah sources as saying that regardless of the nature of an Israeli attack, “whether limited or not,” the group “will respond.”

Foreign intermediaries reportedly begged Hezbollah for restraint “so that the conflict could be contained and not get out of control,” our correspondent said.

On Tuesday, Hezbollah said its air defense units repelled Israeli warplanes that broke the sound barrier in Lebanese airspace.

The group said on Telegram that the aircraft were forced by fire “to retreat behind the borders within occupied Palestine.”

Citing Israel’s N12, Reuters reported that a rocket fired from Lebanon killed an Israeli civilian.

Eager to avoid war

Pressured by his nationalist coalition partners, Netanyahu employed hard-line rhetoric over the attack on the Golan Heights.

However, it is widely believed that Israel is eager to avoid opening another front as it continues to fight Hamas in Gaza and bomb the enclave.

Israeli authorities told Reuters on Monday that while Israel wanted to harm Hezbollah, it does not want to drag the Middle East into an all-out war.

Hezbollah has said it is ready for war if necessary, but the armed group is also believed to be wary of a large-scale conflict.

The US has said it is working to try to avoid the threat of escalation.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed hope on Tuesday that war between the two could still be avoided.

“Although we have seen a lot of activity on Israel’s northern border, we remain concerned that this could turn into an all-out fight. And I don’t believe a fight is inevitable,” he said.

However, the risks continue to rise as Israel and Hezbollah fire across their shared border and accuse each other of atrocities.

Israel said the rocket that hit the Golan Heights, killing at least a dozen children, was an Iranian-made Falaq and was fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon.

Ally Tehran has denied responsibility, although it claimed several launches into Israel on Saturday.

Israeli forces and Hezbollah have been engaged in low-level hostilities across the Israel-Lebanon border since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.

Since October, Israeli attacks have killed around 450 people in Lebanon, including Hezbollah fighters and civilians.

Israel says 23 civilians and at least 17 soldiers have been killed in Hezbollah attacks since October.