Hezbollah and Israel have engaged in intense cross-border exchanges of fire, Blinken to curb regional escalation

In one of the most intense days of cross-border skirmishes in recent weeks, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged heavy fire. This escalation comes a day after Hezbollah’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, called for retaliation following Israel’s assassination of Saleh Arouri, a top Hamas official, in the suburbs of Beirut.

Nasrallah warned that failing to respond to Arouri’s killing would leave Lebanon vulnerable to further Israeli aggression. Amidst these tensions, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked on an urgent diplomatic mission to the Middle East, his fourth since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict three months ago.

Echoing the urgency of the situation, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, emphasized the importance of preventing Lebanon from being pulled into a wider regional conflict during his visit to Beirut.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching 62 rockets at an Israeli air surveillance base on Mount Meron, alleging direct hits as their “initial response” to Arouri’s killing. They also claimed to have hit two Israeli army posts near the border. The Israeli military reported around 40 rockets fired towards Meron and confirmed an attack on the base. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari of the Israeli military stated that there were no casualties in Israel.

Hagari noted that the Israeli forces retaliated by striking the Hezbollah units responsible for the rocket fire and targeting Hezbollah military sites. Hezbollah reported the loss of six fighters on Saturday, bringing their total casualties to 150 since the conflict began.

Israeli airstrikes also targeted areas in southern Lebanon, including the outskirts of Kawthariyat al-Siyyad village, a rare occurrence since the onset of border hostilities nearly three months ago. Additionally, Israeli forces shelled border areas, including the town of Khiam.

In a separate incident, the armed wing of Jamaa Islamiya in Lebanon, affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and a close ally of Hamas, claimed responsibility for launching rockets towards the Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona on Friday night, resulting in the death of two of its members during the strike that killed Arouri.

Blinken’s Middle East trip, which started in Turkey, is seen as a strategic move by the Biden administration, considering Turkey’s potential influence on Iran and its proxies to de-escalate the situation and prevent a broader regional conflict. These concerns have been heightened by recent incidents in the Red Sea, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran.