The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Wednesday that the Israeli Air Force had begun a large-scale attack on Lebanon.
Lebanese state media and Allah-affiliated media reported airstrikes on several towns in southern Lebanon, including Adechit, Suane and Shehabia.
Northern Israel was hit by rockets
Israel's attack follows a rocket attack on the northern Israeli city of Safad, which the IDF says originated from Lebanese territory.
At least eight people were injured in a rocket attack on the northern Israeli city of Safar on Wednesday, Ziif Medical Center said in a statement.
The IDF said a base in the north of the country had been hit by rockets from Lebanon, but did not specify which city.
The Iranian-backed militant group Allah, itself a regional force, has not claimed responsibility for the attack.
Israel launched massive air strikes against Lebanon
Israel said on Wednesday that it had begun a series of attacks on Lebanon in a move that could fuel fears of a major military confrontation between neighboring countries after months of cross-border violence.
The Israeli military did not provide further details, while Lebanese media reported that three villages had been attacked. According to medical personnel in northern Israel, a few hours ago, the Lebanese opened fire, injuring several people.
Videos circulating on social media appear to show attacks on southern Lebanon, including Nabatiyah province, deeper into Lebanese territory than many previous attacks.
The Israeli military did not immediately provide further details of the airstrikes, which had been fired hours earlier in a rocket attack from Lebanon that killed at least one person and wounded seven others.
Israeli warplanes reportedly carried out a series of airstrikes on the areas of Al-Sawwanah, Adshit, Al-Shehabiya and Jabal Al-Rayhan in Iqlim Al-Tuffah, southern Lebanon. Israeli artillery also bombarded a number of border towns.
The occupying forces confirmed that they attacked missile launches targeting the Northern Command, Meron airbase and the Safed military base.
The number of these missiles reached eight, according to Israeli media, which also said that it was the most dangerous attack since the outbreak of war on the northern front.
Radio of the occupying forces reported that Allah had bombarded Safad with precision missiles and explained that the Iron Dome had failed to intercept the last missile. Local media confirmed that the War Council was studying how to respond to Allah's bombing, and Al Jazeera reporters also reported that Israeli heavy aircraft were flying over the Lebanese border area and the Galilee.
The Israeli Minister of Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, considers the launch of rockets from southern Lebanon to be a war against Israel. He posted on platform X, "These are not airdrops, this is war. It's time to get rid of this notion in the North. ”
Allah, the Lebanese armed group, has engaged in almost daily exchanges of fire with Israeli forces since the war in Gaza began four months ago, and Allah did not immediately claim responsibility for the rocket attack early Wednesday.
Allah, backed by Iran, is often considered a more powerful fighting force than Hamas and one of Lebanon's most influential political factions. According to the group's leadership, Allah has about 100,000 fighters, a number that exceeds the official Lebanese national army.
On Tuesday, Allah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said rockets fired from Lebanese territory would stop when attacks on Gaza stopped and a ceasefire was established between its Palestinian allies and Israel. "If they Israel expands the confrontation, we will do the same," Nasrallah declared in a televised statement.
Wednesday's airstrikes on Lebanon come as global leaders warn of a widening conflict between Israel and Allah. Over the past few months, tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border due to waves of cross-border shelling.
Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed at least 243 people, mostly Allah fighters, but also 30 civilians, since the October 7 Hamas attack raised regional tensions, AFP said. According to official data, nine Israeli soldiers and six civilians were also killed.
The United States assesses the extent to which American weapons are being used by Israel to harm civilians
U.S. State Department spokesman Matt Miller said Tuesday that the U.S. is assessing the harm caused by U.S. weapons to civilians in Israel.
"We do seek to thoroughly evaluate reports of civilian harm from authorized recipients of U.S.-supplied defense items around the world, including in accordance with the Civilian Injury Incident Response Guidance (CHIRG)," Miller said at a press conference. ”
Acknowledging the use of CHIRG comes as U.S. officials say they are urging Israel to do more to protect civilians in Gaza, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a recent visit to the region that the casualty toll remains disproportionate.
At the same time, the Biden administration has faced public outrage for continuing to support Israel in the conflict. This outrage could have political repercussions in an election year.
Miller said the CHIRG review will have no impact on U.S. conflict policy. "This process is not intended to act as a rapid response mechanism," he said, "but rather to systematically assess incidents of civilian harm and develop appropriate policy responses to reduce the risk of such incidents in the future and to facilitate military operations by partners in accordance with international humanitarian law." ”
Even if Israel invades Rafah and kills civilians, the United States will not punish it
Politico quoted three U.S. officials as saying that even if Israel launched a military operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip without providing protection for civilians in the city, US President Joe Biden's administration would not punish Israel.
The three officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the newspaper that Washington does not intend to rebuke Israel, which means that Israeli forces can enter Rafah and harm civilians in the city without suffering any consequences from the United States.
Observers believe that this message represents the green light given by the US government to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to move forward with plans to invade the city, despite international condemnation, which is considered the last refuge for hundreds of thousands of displaced people, with growing warnings about the resulting massacre of innocent civilians.
Senior U.S. government officials issued a statement saying that despite the Biden administration's announcement that it wants Israel to develop a plan to protect civilians, Israel's imminent invasion of the city of 1.4 million people will not affect U.S. support for Israel.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, in response to a question from the US president at a news conference about whether he threatened to stop military aid to Israel if it continues its plans to invade the city, said Washington will continue to support Israel.
On Tuesday, the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate approved a $95.34 billion aid package for Israel, Ukraine, but the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has doubts about the plan's approval.
Commenting on the approval, Biden said the aid provides Israel with everything it needs to protect its people from terrorist groups such as Hamas and Allah.
Israel rejects a ceasefire, calling it delusional
Israel has decided not to send a delegation to Cairo, Egypt, to continue discussions with Hamas on a ceasefire agreement, which has been operating against the group in Gaza for more than four months.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again called Hamas's proposal delusional, echoing his remarks last week. At a news conference last week, he said that continued military pressure was necessary for the release of the hostages.
The Israeli delegation returned from the Cairo talks on Tuesday, and Israel now says it has no plans to return. Netanyahu insisted that Israel would not succumb to Hamas's delusional demands and that only a change in Hamas's position would allow progress in the negotiations. ”
According to a document seen by the US media, Hamas has proposed to repatriate all remaining hostages through a two-phase plan that includes an 18-week ceasefire.
The first phase will last 45 days, during which all women, children, elderly and sick hostages will return in exchange for Palestinian women and children held by Israel. As of November 2023, Israeli authorities have detained nearly 7,000 Palestinians, more than 2,000 of whom are in administrative detention, meaning they are being detained without charge or trial, according to the Israeli human rights group HaMoked.
Some 250 Israelis were taken hostage by Hamas in the October 7 attack, and some 130 Israelis survived after the prisoner exchange in November.
The second phase will begin only after the conditions for the end of the military operation on both sides have been determined and calm has been restored, and while a peace agreement is negotiated, the remaining male hostages will be returned.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who just held talks with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt last week, told reporters that there were clearly some impossibles in Hamas's proposals, but did not specify what those impossible elements were.
During the Super Bowl in the United States, Israel spent an estimated $7 million to create a 30-second ad in the United States calling for the return of the hostages. At the same time, it launched a bombing campaign against Rafah, Gaza's last remaining enclave, to which more than half of the Strip's 2.3 million inhabitants fled at Israel's urging.
The Israel Hostage Family Forum, an organization dedicated to advocating for the return of Israelis held by Hamas, condemned the Netanyahu government's decision to withdraw from the Cairo talks, calling it a death sentence for the remaining hostages. In a statement, the group said it appeared that some members of the cabinet had decided to sacrifice the lives of the hostages.
The Biden administration has been publicly calling on Israel to suspend ground operations in Rafah until Israel develops a credible plan to protect civilians in the region. However, U.S. officials have made it clear in public statements, and private media reports have also indicated that the U.S. has no plans to punish Israel or cut off aid to the country.
Covering an area of less than 60 square miles, Rafah was home to about 280,000 people before the conflict, making it one of the most densely populated cities in one of the world's most densely populated areas. As the Israeli army continues to drive Gaza's population further south, its population has grown to more than 1.5 million. Rafah is located on the southern border with Egypt, which has been closed, leaving civilians with nowhere to go.
Several countries, including Turkey, Egypt, France and Germany, have urged Israel to stop its actions against Rafah.
The EU urges a reconsideration of Israeli policy
The Irish and Spanish leaders told European Commission President Ursula that the European Commission must urgently reconsider Israel's compliance with Gaza's human rights obligations under the EU/Israel association agreement, which underpins relations between Brussels and West Jerusalem.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote: "We are deeply concerned about the deterioration of the situation in Israel and Gaza, particularly the impact of the ongoing conflict on innocent Palestinians, especially children and women. ”
The Heads Ministers noted that while the EU/Israel Association is essentially a free trade agreement, it also makes respect for human rights and democratic principles an essential element of the relationship. If Brussels finds that these principles have been violated, it should propose appropriate measures to the Council for consideration.
Implementing a two-state solution, they said, is the only way to ensure that this cycle of violence is not repeated. They insisted that it was the EU's responsibility to act to make it happen.
Sánchez and Varadkar reiterated their condemnation of the Hamas attack and called for the release of the hostages it was holding in Gaza, noting that Israel's right to self-defence could only be exercised in accordance with international law and must respect the principles of distinction, proportionality and prevention. ”
"Israel's expanded military operations in the Rafah area constitute a serious and imminent threat to which the international community must urgently respond," they wrote. "Israel's ground assault has even been widely condemned by allies in West Jerusalem, including the US leadership, and Europe.
On Monday, South Africa filed an urgent request with the International Court of Justice seeking to determine whether Israel's planned Rafah offensive constitutes a further violation of the rights of Palestinians in Gaza. As the United Nations and international human rights advocates have warned, nearly a million Palestinians evacuated from other parts of the territory are taking refuge in the city, where they have nowhere to run.
A spokesman for the European Commission acknowledged receipt of the letter and stressed that both sides must be held accountable for violations of international law, insisting that Brussels regretted the loss of life for all civilians.