Israeli Army Attacks Hezbollah Positions in 10 Areas in Southern Lebanon

The Israeli army announced on Thursday, September 1, that it had conducted extensive airstrikes against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon the previous night. According to the Times of Israel, these attacks were carried out by fighter jets targeting weapon depots, buildings used by Hezbollah, and a rocket launcher in ten areas in southern Lebanon. These extensive attacks were in response to Hezbollah's firing of 50 rockets towards the northern city of Katzrin, which caused damage and injured an Israeli man. Hezbollah, a group supported by the Islamic Republic and allied with the armed Palestinian group Hamas, has been engaged in daily confrontations with Israeli forces in border areas since the Gaza war began last October. On August 18, Israel also reported an attack on a Hezbollah weapons depot in southern Lebanon. The clashes between Hezbollah and Israel began on October 8, a day after a terrorist attack by Hamas, another proxy group of the Islamic Republic, on northern Israel. Most of the clashes between Israel and Hezbollah have occurred in border areas, but Israel has targeted this group's positions deep within Lebanon several times. Tensions between Hezbollah and Israel have escalated in recent weeks following a rocket attack by Hezbollah on northern Israel that killed 12 children and teenagers. Following this attack, Israel eliminated Fawad Shukr, Hezbollah's top commander, on August 9 in Beirut. The killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, in Tehran on August 1 has also been attributed to Israel. Unlike its acknowledgment of responsibility for the deadly attack on Fawad Shukr, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the attack on Ismail Haniyeh. The Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah have vowed not to leave these two deadly attacks unanswered. In response, Israel has warned that any party attacking the country will have to pay a hefty price. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have held Israel responsible for the failure of ceasefire negotiations in Gaza. One day after Blinken's return from the Middle East, Biden and Netanyahu spoke by phone. The Israeli Foreign Minister stated that the international community should declare the IRGC as the largest terrorist organization in the world.