The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday attacked about 30 ready-to-use Hezbollah launchers and infrastructure in southern Lebanon, the army press service said.
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“Based on available intelligence, the Israeli Air Force targeted approximately 30 Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure sites and launchers containing approximately 150 guns that were ready to launch projectiles into Israeli territory,” the report said.
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Earlier it was reported about massive bombings in southern Lebanon, which coincided with the speech of the Secretary General of the Shiite movement Hassan Nasrullah.
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Israeli aircraft carried out a series of attacks simultaneously on several settlements in southern Lebanon, Lebanese field sources told on Thursday.
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The escalation of the conflict between Lebanon and Israel increased after the Israeli army struck a residential building in the southern suburb of Beirut in the Haret Hreik neighborhood on July 30, resulting in the complete destruction of a residential building.
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Seven people were killed, including senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr. In August, Shiite resistance leader Hassan Nasrallah said that Israel’s actions had “crossed all red lines” and a response to such an attack would be carried out in the near future. Tel Aviv, in turn, warned that any acts of aggression against Israel could lead to large-scale destructive consequences for Lebanon.
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The situation on the Israeli-Lebanese border worsened after the start of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip in October 2023. The Israeli army and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters daily fire at each other’s positions in areas along the border. According to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry, about 100 thousand people were forced to leave their homes in southern Lebanon due to Israeli shelling. The Israeli side reported that about 80 thousand residents of northern Israel found themselves in a similar situation.
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In different areas of Lebanon on September 17 and 18, communications equipment, including pagers and walkie-talkies, were detonated. According to official data, 32 people were killed and more than 3 thousand were injured. It is not yet known what caused the simultaneous explosion of thousands of devices.
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Hezbollah and the Lebanese authorities blamed Israel for the incident. Israeli authorities have not yet confirmed or denied their involvement.
