Hezbollah Strikes Israel, Unveils New ‘Escalatory Phase’

On Friday, Hezbollah launched a series of rocket attacks targeting Israel’s Yoav barracks in the occupied Golan Heights and the Zofolon area, located north of Haifa.

In response, the Israeli army ordered the evacuation of 20 towns in southern Lebanon and conducted strikes on several southern Lebanese towns, including Jbaa, Aita al-Shaab, Zrariyeh, Marwanieh, Bazourieh, Shaaytiyeh, Ebl al-Siqi, Malkieh, and Ansar.

The previous day, the Israeli military reported the deaths of five soldiers during combat operations in southern Lebanon, bringing the total number of Israeli troops killed since the start of their raids last month to 19. Additionally, Israeli sources confirmed that 31 soldiers were injured in a drone attack near the border.

On Friday, the Israeli army announced plans to deploy another brigade to its northern border as part of an ongoing assessment of the situation.

In recent days, Hezbollah has successfully targeted several Israeli tanks near the border with guided missiles, as Israeli forces attempted to penetrate Lebanon’s border villages. On Thursday, Hezbollah reported hitting two Merkava tanks near the village of Labbouneh, resulting in fires and casualties.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah stated that the Israeli army has yet to establish full control over any village in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah also declared the launch of a new phase in its conflict with Israel, revealing that it had used precision-guided missiles against Israeli forces for the first time. In a statement on Thursday, the group announced an escalation in the confrontation, signaling that more significant developments were expected in the coming days.