MID EAST BRACED FOR MORE CHAOS
Israel’s clash with Lebanon escalates after air strikes
ISRAEL has blitzed Hezbollah targets deep inside Lebanon, raising fears of a fresh conflict even if there is a Gaza ceasefire.
Experts warned “momentum” towards an Israel-hezbollah war is now running independently of the IDF’S onslaught on the Strip.
Yesterday, Israeli warplanes smashed Hezbollah buildings near the north-eastern city of Baalbek.
Three strikes were launched on the outskirts of the village of Buday. At least two were killed and food stores were hit. And a strike in southern village Majadel killed Hezbollah field commander Hassan Salami.
Hezbollah deputy leader Shiekh Naim Kassem warned: “If the Israelis go too far, we will retaliate more. All what we have used until now in the fighting is the minimum of what we own.”
He was referencing Hezbollah’s huge arsenal, including precisionguided missiles and explosive drones. But Israeli Defence
TOUGH TALK Gallant
Minister Yoav Gallant said anyone who thinks a temporary ceasefire for Gaza will also apply to the northern front is “mistaken”.
He said: “We will continue the fire and we will do so independently from the south, until we achieve our goals.”
Western diplomats have tabled ceasefire proposals but one source said: “There is a momentum towards a wider conflict with Hezbollah that seems no longer to depend on what happens in
Gaza.” The conflict began with the October 7 attacks in which Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis, taking over 200 hostages.
The death toll in Gaza Israel’s response is
from around 30,000.
Israel is preparing an attack on Rafah in southern Gaza that will only be delayed by a ceasefire deal in which Hamas is required to release hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said.