Israeli Airstrikes on Lebanon; Army Claims to Target Hezbollah Weapons Depots

The Israeli army announced that on Saturday, September 24, it targeted Hezbollah's weapons depots in multiple airstrikes across Lebanon. According to this announcement, targets in the Bekaa and Baalbek regions and seven other areas in Lebanon, especially in the south, were attacked, resulting in the destruction of Hezbollah's weapon storage facilities. Israel stated that these attacks were in retaliation for a barrage of 55 projectiles fired from southern Lebanon into Israeli territory early Saturday morning, projectiles which, according to the Israeli army, were either intercepted or landed in desert areas, causing no casualties. The Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, however, claims that throughout Saturday, it bombarded an Israeli military brigade's base in the northwest of the Sea of Galilee with 'dozens of Katyusha rockets' and targeted Israeli military sites with missiles and drones. Meanwhile, Naeem Qassem, the deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah, stated in Beirut on Saturday: 'We do not intend to start a war and consider it futile, but if Israel starts a war, we will respond with full force, and both sides will suffer heavy casualties.' These remarks came after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant emphasized that his country is determined to maintain security along its northern borders and is prepared for any potential incidents. Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and the onset of the Gaza war, Hezbollah has been engaged daily with Israeli forces in support of the Palestinian group. As a result of these clashes, thousands have been displaced in the border areas of Lebanon and Israel. Hezbollah claims it does not intend to go to war with Israel but is prepared to respond. The Israeli army reported that 60 rockets and one drone were fired at northern Israel; Hezbollah's infrastructure in Lebanon was targeted by Israeli forces. The U.S. aircraft carrier 'Theodore Roosevelt' has returned from the Middle East, while the 'Abraham Lincoln' remains deployed. Iranian Revolutionary Guard facilities in Syria were reportedly destroyed in an attack attributed to Israel, with at least two Iranians detained. Two people were killed in an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in Syria. The U.S. has sanctioned a Lebanese network accused of oil and gas smuggling to 'finance Hezbollah.' The Israeli army stated that the firing of 45 rockets from Lebanon resulted in no casualties.