According to the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), the fighter jets hit 100 rocket launchers, each holding around 1,000 barrels, that were ready to fire straight into Israeli land.
On Thursday, Israeli jets struck hundreds of rocket launcher barrels that were ready to be utilized to launch an imminent attack into Israeli land while targeting Hezbollah facilities in southern Lebanon, according to the IDF.
According to the news agency Reuters, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) said that since the afternoon, airplanes have struck over 100 rocket launchers, totaling about 1000 barrels.
The vow of “tough retribution and just punishment” for the consecutive attacks that crushed the militant group’s communication network with explosives concealed in pagers and walkie-talkies was made by Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, hours earlier.
Top Points
- Israel strikes targets in southern Lebanon that are affiliated with Hezbollah.
- With 1,000 barrels, Israel aimed for 100 rocket launchers.
- After Hassan Nasrallah of Hezbollah issued threats, operations were carried out
Focus Point
- Representative Karine Jean-Pierre of the White House expressed alarm about possible conflict as she emphasized the need for a diplomatic solution to reduce the rising tension in the Middle East on Thursday.
The White House declared that a diplomatic solution to the Middle East crisis was both feasible and urgent.
2) Lebanon’s UN (United Nations) mission to the Security Council received a letter stating that Lebanese officials had concluded that communication devices that exploded in Lebanon this week had been equipped with explosives before entering the country.
Pagers and handheld radios were among the gadgets that were remotely destroyed using electronic communications, according to the letter obtained by Reuters on Thursday. Furthermore, Israel was charged by Lebanon’s envoy with planning and executing the strikes.
3) Reuters said that authorities interrogated Hsu Ching-kuang late on Thursday night before releasing him. Hsu Ching-kuang is the founder and president of Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese pager firm connected to the explosion of thousands of pagers targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The devices used in the attacks were not made by Gold Apollo, according to Hsu. According to him, BAC, a Budapest-based business with permission to use the Gold Apollo brand, created the pagers.
4) Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, said that Israel had crossed a “red line” this week in response to explosions that were widely blamed on Israel and entailed the remote destruction of hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies that Hezbollah uses in Syria and Lebanon, according to the Associated Press.
5) There were fears that a full-scale conflict was about to break out after assaults on Hezbollah’s communications infrastructure claimed 37 lives and injured about 3,000 more.
6) Concerns of an all-out war have been raised as Israel’s battle enters its eleventh month due to the northern enemy’s proliferation of pagers and walkie-talkies, which has created a new front.
7) The Middle East conflict should not be allowed to worsen, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken cautioned. “France and the United States stand united in calling for restraint and urging de-escalation, particularly concerning Lebanon and the region as a whole,” stated Macron.
8) A day after at least 12 people were killed when pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded in Lebanon, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared on Wednesday that the country was entering “a new phase” of war.
Reuters reported that he stated, “We are opening a new phase in the war – it requires courage, determination and perseverance from us,” at an air force base.
9) Regarding its role in the pager and walkie-talkie attacks, Israel has said nothing; it has not acknowledged nor denied involvement. The operation was reportedly executed by Israel’s spy organization, Mossad, according to a number of security sources.
10) The cross-border battle between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah has escalated to a ferocious level, the highest in years since the Gaza war broke out last October.