On 21/4, Hezbollah announced it had launched rockets and deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) targeting a position in northern Israel. Hezbollah suspected this location was the origin of shelling directed at a town in southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese armed group stated the action was taken "to protect the country and its people", and to respond to Israel's "clear violations" of the 10-day ceasefire agreement. According to AFP, this marks the first time Hezbollah has claimed an attack on Israeli territory since the ceasefire came into effect on 17/4.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on the same day that Hezbollah had launched multiple rockets at its soldiers, but stated the targets were in southern Lebanon. A UAV flying from Lebanon was intercepted before entering Israeli airspace. The IDF added that its forces retaliated against Hezbollah's rocket launch sites.
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A building in the city of Tyre, southern Lebanon, was destroyed by an Israeli attack during the conflict. Photo: AFP |
A building in the city of Tyre, southern Lebanon, was destroyed by an Israeli attack during the conflict. Photo: AFP
According to Lebanon's national news agency NNA, Israeli artillery shelled multiple areas in the country's south on 21/4, destroying homes and infrastructure in several border villages. A town was also struck by an airstrike on 20/4, injuring 6 people.
The conflict in Lebanon re-erupted in early March after the armed group Hezbollah launched rockets into Israeli territory. This was in retaliation for the assassination of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the Middle East conflict. Israel responded with large-scale attacks across Lebanon and deployed troops into the south of the neighboring nation.
The conflict has resulted in nearly 2,300 deaths in Lebanon and displaced 1.2 million people. The 10-day ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon took effect on 17/4, several days after the first high-level meeting between representatives of the two countries in decades.
Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on 20/4 that the IDF was prepared to use "full force" if its soldiers were threatened. Hezbollah, for its part, accused Israel of violating the ceasefire more than 200 times since the agreement came into effect.
Thanh Danh (According to AFP, Times of Israel)
