Hezbollah Fires 40 Rockets at Northern Israel... Crisis of Full-Scale War

Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah has once again launched dozens of rockets into northern Israel, escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

On the 27th (local time), according to local media including the Times of Israel, about 40 rockets were fired from Lebanon toward an Israeli military base in Galilee, northern Israel.

Rockets fired by Hezbollah toward northern Israel are being intercepted by Israel's air defense system.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The Israeli military stated that many of the launched rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system. However, some rockets caused damage, and fire authorities reported they were extinguishing fires caused by the rocket attacks.

Following the attack, Hezbollah issued a statement saying, "We fired dozens of Katyusha rockets in retaliation for the airstrikes on the Nabatieh area last night and the airstrikes in southern Lebanon this morning that took the lives of our members."

Hezbollah has been attacking northern Israel with missiles and rockets since October 8 of last year, shortly after the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas began. In response, Israel has increased its countermeasures, including targeted airstrikes on senior Hezbollah commanders.

After the death of top commander Taleb Abdullah and others during an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon on the 11th, Hezbollah struck northern Israel with hundreds of rockets and drones for two consecutive days.

On the previous day, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Hezbollah, saying, "We can turn Lebanon back to the Stone Age."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that day, "The first step to prevent Iran's occupation of the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, is to cut off the hand of Hamas," adding, "Israel must also control other elements belonging to Iran's 'axis of terror.'"

U.S. political media outlet Politico analyzed that if Israel and Hamas do not reach a ceasefire, clashes between Israel and Hezbollah could escalate within weeks. A senior U.S. intelligence official said, "The risk of full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah has increased compared to the past few weeks," adding, "A war could break out with just one side launching an attack."