Lebanon Loses Top Commander
Retaliates Against Israel... No Casualties Reported
Tensions Rise Ahead of 'Axis of Resistance' Launch Date
Lebanese armed faction Hezbollah fired 30 rockets at northern Israel after losing a top commander in an airstrike on the outskirts of the capital Beirut.
According to local media on the 12th (local time), Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets early that morning toward the western Galilee region in northern Israel.
Some of the rockets were intercepted by the low-altitude air defense system Iron Dome, while others fell in open areas. There were no casualties reported, but a fire broke out near the agricultural community of Moshav Avdon.
Israeli military tanks and vehicles are gathered near the Gaza Strip border on May 29 (local time). Despite international calls for restraint, Israel continues its offensive on Rafah, the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip. 2024.05.30 [Photo by Yonhap News]
The Israeli military stated, "More than 30 rockets were fired from Lebanon toward the northern region, but no damage was caused," adding, "Airstrikes are underway on southern Lebanon, where the rockets were launched."
Hezbollah claimed that this rocket attack was both a show of solidarity with the Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip and retaliation for Israel's attacks on southern Lebanon. Earlier, Lebanon's state news agency NNA reported that 12 people, including six children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the southern Lebanese town of Maarib.
Since Hamas's surprise attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza Strip war, Hezbollah has been continuously exchanging fire with Israel along the northern border almost daily, launching rockets and missiles since October 8 of last year. Israel has retaliated by deploying fighter jets and armed drones to strike Hezbollah's key facilities across Lebanon and has targeted and assassinated prominent Hezbollah figures.
In particular, the Beirut airstrike that killed Shukr on the 30th of last month coincided hours later with the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran's capital, escalating tensions to the highest level between the Iran-centered "Axis of Resistance" and Israel. Especially, the period of June 12-13 coincides with the Jewish holiday Tisha B'Av, leading some to speculate that Iran and the Axis of Resistance may choose this date to begin retaliation, raising further concerns.
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