Hezbollah’s intensified attacks warn Israel: all-out war would be costly

A senior Hezbollah official, Sheikh Ali Daamoush, stated that the group’s intensified attacks on Israel’s northern border are intended to make it costly for Israel to launch an all-out war on Lebanon. Daamoush, speaking during Friday prayers, explained that the attacks are also intended to pressure Israel into ending its war in Gaza. His remarks followed Hezbollah’s claims of firing rockets into northern Israel for the third consecutive day, targeting several military posts, including those in Metula and Misgav Am.

The Israeli military reported that around 35 projectiles crossed from Lebanon into northern Israel, specifically hitting Kiryat Shmona and Kfar Szold, causing a fire in Kfar Szold. In response, Israeli artillery targeted the launch sites. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported an Israeli airstrike on Kfar Kila, a border village, while an earlier strike on Janata in southern Lebanon killed two women and injured 19 people, according to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV.

Hezbollah’s increased attacks followed an Israeli strike on Tuesday that killed a senior Hezbollah military commander, marking the highest-ranking loss for the group since the border clashes began in early October. These nearly daily cross-border attacks have escalated tensions, with some Israeli leaders threatening full-scale war to stop Hezbollah’s rocket fire, which has displaced thousands of Israelis. Hezbollah aims to support its Palestinian ally Hamas during cease-fire negotiations over Gaza.

The ongoing violence has resulted in over 400 deaths in Lebanon, mostly fighters but also more than 70 civilians and non-combatants, and tens of thousands displaced. In Israel, at least 15 soldiers and 10 civilians have been killed. The United Nations has called for all parties to exercise maximum restraint and avoid actions or statements that could further escalate the situation, according to U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.