At least four people killed in Israeli air strike on car in Lebanese village
‘Everything in due time,’ says Hezbollah representative on escalating conflict
At least four people have been killed in an Israeli strike on a car in the southern Lebanese village of Baflieh, the latest in a string of attacks on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon frontier over the past week.
Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah on Thursday acknowledged that two of its fighters were killed. They died “in defence of south Lebanon”, the group said.
Two passers-by were killed and another injured, according to Al Risala Scouts, a civil defence organisation that operates in south Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Israel acknowledged the death of an Israeli army sergeant in an attack claimed by Hezbollah on a military site in Al Malkieh. Meanwhile, five militia fighters were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
Earlier, two Israeli soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah-claimed drone attack on an army position near the Israeli town of Metula.
The death of the three Israeli soldiers this week brings the military death toll for the northern Israel front to 13, in addition to nine civilians, according to Israeli authorities.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has repeatedly claimed Israel is hiding the true number of its casualties.
In Lebanon, more than 350 people have been killed in the south since the conflict began in October, official government figures say. Most of those killed were Hezbollah fighters but at least 73 were civilians.
The conflict along the Lebanon-Israel frontier has ebbed and flowed in parallel with the war in Gaza, remaining constant but intensifying during key periods. Hezbollah has conditioned a ceasefire in Lebanon on a truce in Gaza.
Now, as Israel prepares for an incursion into Rafah – a city sheltering about 1.4 million Palestinians, by the UN’s count – Lebanon’s front has intensified once again.
Tens of thousands of people on both sides of the Lebanon-Israel border remain displaced.
When asked whether Hezbollah plans to intensify the conflict with Israel, a representative for the Iran-allied party said: “Everything in due time.”
Mr Nasrallah has consistently promised to match Israel’s intensity. Despite initiating the conflict in October, Hezbollah has remained committed to its rule of proportionality – seeking to support Hamas without drawing the fragile Lebanese state into full-scale conflict.
“All options are on the table. Our eyes are on Gaza as we fight on the border,” Mr Nasrallah said in a speech in February, directly addressing the Israeli state. “If you widen [the front], we will widen. If you intensify, we will intensify.”
Militant groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, where the Iran-allied Axis of Resistance has become entrenched, are also vigilant.
In Iraq, Iran-backed Shiite
According to official figures, more than 350 people have been killed in southern Lebanon since the conflict began
armed factions have been monitoring the situation in and around Rafah.
“Until now, there are no indications that the Israelis want to launch a full-blown operation in Rafah,” a Shiite politician linked to Iran-backed militia groups told The National.
“Their latest moves are seen as attempts to pressure Hamas during ongoing negotiations.”
Asked whether there will be a unified response or escalation in the case of an Israeli invasion, he said: “Nothing solid on that yet, as such a move will need co-ordination with other players in the region.”
A former member of Jordanian intelligence, Saud Sharafat, said he expected Iran to respond through its proxies to any ground Israeli assault on the urban core of Rafah.
But the response would be limited to the level of the attacks that preceded direct hostilities between the two countries last month, he said.