On September 22, Hezbollah intensified its aggression against Israel with another barrage of rockets launched from northern Israel, targeting even wider and deeper areas, including the northern city of Haifa. The movement marked a clear escalation between Israel and Hezbollah as an already deteriorating environment of hostilities that began when the Gaza War broke out nearly a year ago worsened significantly.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the IDF’s aerial defence system intercepted the overwhelming majority of the rockets, although some rockets did impact Israeli settlements resulting in damage to residential & commercial structures, and damage to vehicles as well. Four people at least were treated for injuries, which included a 76-year-old, who was moderately injured, amid Haifa. The escalation has amplified fears of a larger conflict between both sides.
In response, the Israeli Air Force carried out a broad campaign of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon. Israeli fighter jets reportedly struck dozens of sites, including rocket launchers and military facilities. The Israeli military said that these airstrikes aimed to hamper Hezbollah’s military capacity and warned of further attacks if Lebanese attacks continued. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would not tolerate attacks against its people and promised to continue to defend them.
Hezbollah’s latest attack came on the heels of a previous Israeli airstrike in Beirut that reportedly killed at least 37 people, including a senior Hezbollah commander. This airstrike followed a cyber-attack on Hezbollah that damaged thousands of devices, compounding its losses.
The conflict has resulted in the displacement of tens of thousands on both sides of the border. However, neither side seems to be in pursuit of a fully fledged war. That said, things are still very unstable, as truce talks in Gaza managed by the US, Egypt, and Qatar have stalled multiple times.
Hezbollah has said it would cease its attacks unless there is a truce in Gaza, but things currently do not seem to be heading in a peaceful direction. Both sides are now expecting to escalate the conflict even further, and the international community is calling for restraint to avoid escalating regional conflict .
