Hezbollah Launches Rockets at Israel Concurrently with Arrival of Iranian Foreign Minister in Lebanon

On Friday, the 20th, Hezbollah militants reported firing dozens of rockets at Israeli army positions in the Golan Heights coinciding with the arrival of Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Iranian Foreign Minister, in Lebanon. Hours earlier, Hezbollah had claimed to have conducted other attacks, including against what it called 'espionage equipment' and an Israeli tank. Hezbollah's actions on Friday come after the group, supported by the Islamic Republic, announced that it had fired dozens of Katyusha rockets into northern Israel in response to an Israeli drone attack on Nabatieh in southern Lebanon that resulted in the death of one of its commanders. In response, the Israeli army stated that its fighter jets had conducted attacks against Hezbollah military facilities in the village of Maroun al-Ras in southern Lebanon and also against military installations in two southern Lebanese cities. The continuation of Hezbollah's provocative actions coincides with the Iranian Foreign Minister's visit to Lebanon for the third time since the terrorist attack on October 7. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who was welcomed at Beirut airport by representatives of Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, told reporters that the Iranian government would continue its extensive support for Hezbollah because, according to him, the Islamic Republic considers Lebanon's security to be Iran's security. The Iranian Foreign Minister is set to meet with some Lebanese officials as well as Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah. Israeli Air Force Chief Major General Tomer Bar, speaking to military personnel on Thursday, referred to the possibility of war with Lebanon, stating that in such a case, Israel would target hundreds of locations simultaneously, making the term 'attack' insufficient to describe what would happen. He added that dozens of Israeli aircraft are currently flying over Lebanon and can increase to hundreds within minutes of receiving orders to complete all missions. Immediately following the onset of Israel's offensive in Gaza after the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas in southern Israel, the Iran-backed Hezbollah began launching rockets into northern Israel. According to AFP, 228 Lebanese, mostly Hezbollah members, have been killed so far. The Israeli army also reported that 15 of its citizens, including six civilians, have lost their lives due to Hezbollah's attacks over the past four months. Israel downed a 'suspicious aerial target' in the north of the country. A military commander of Hezbollah was killed in a drone attack attributed to Israel. US retaliatory strikes against Iranian proxy groups will continue until their attacks cease. Israel stated that it has attacked Hezbollah targets in Syria 50 times since the October 7 attack. Seven people were killed in an attack attributed to Israel in southern Damascus. Israel targeted several Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Houthis in Yemen are being equipped with advanced Iranian weapons. Reuters reported that Hezbollah rejected the US proposal for 'de-escalation.'