Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has officially claimed responsibility for a targeted assault on a key Israeli military post. The attack, which involved the launch of 62 rockets, is characterized by Hezbollah as a “preliminary response” to the recent killing of senior Hamas leader Saleh Al-Aroui and six other members in Beirut earlier this week.
“As part of the initial response to the crime of assassinating the great leader Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri … the Islamic resistance (Hezbollah) targeted the Meron air control base with 62 various types of missiles,” the Iran-backed group issued in a statement on Saturday.
Following the activation of rocket sirens in northern Israel, the Israeli military reported that they had identified “approximately 40 launches from Lebanon directed towards the area of Meron in northern Israel,” with no casualties or damage reported.
Hezbollah authorities have asserted earlier that the intentional killing of Al-Arouri would not be left without a response, vowing to retaliate against those deemed responsible. The Lebanese group has executed a total of nine attacks, targeting Israeli positions along the Lebanese border.
This comes after European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut on Saturday. He issued a stern warning, cautioning Lebanon from becoming entangled in a regional conflict, potentially spilling over from Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.
“Diplomatic channels have to stay open. War is not the only option – it’s the worst option,” Borrell expressed his concern, noting that he was alarmed by the escalating violence carried out by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the European Union’s senior diplomat, were both present in the region on distinct diplomatic missions aimed at preventing the continuous war on Gaza from escalating into Lebanon, the occupied West Bank, and disrupting the shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
