Hezbollah launches 200 rockets and dozens of drones in attack on Israel

Armed Shiite militia Hezbollah launched a major offensive against Israel on Thursday after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed another of its commanders in southern Lebanon. Thursday's Hezbollah attack is perhaps the largest since the Gaza war began following the Oct. 7 attacks.

As reported by the IDF, Hezbollah launched more than 200 rockets from Lebanon in addition to about 20 drones. At least one Israeli serviceman was killed in these latest attacks. He is reserve Major Itay Galea, 38, deputy company commander in unit 8679 of the Yiftah Armored Reserve Brigade in Ramat Gan. The shells hit northern Israel, from where more than 70,000 civilians have been evacuated due to ongoing attacks and exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Hezbollah attacks come in response to the elimination of one of its commanders in Lebanon. The serviceman, who was killed along with another Hezbollah member in an offensive by the Jewish state's air force, was Mohammad Naameh Nasser, head of the Shiite terrorist group's Aziz Unit, a post he had held since 2016.

Naahmeh Nasser is the second high-ranking Hezbollah commander to be eliminated by the IDF in the past three weeks. The first was Sami Abdallah, known as Abu Taleb, who was the highest-ranking Hezbollah member the IDF had taken out since the start of the Gaza war. Both members of the Shiite militia were responsible for a number of operations in southern Lebanon.

When the IDF shot down Abu Taleb, Hezbollah responded with a heavy rocket and drone attack against northern Israel. Followed by this new attack, the IDF announced that it carried out a series of precision air strikes on Hezbollah positions where the rockets were being launched. They struck in Qanatra, Rab al-Thalathine and Deir.

'Whoever harms us, his blood will run down his head'

Following Thursday's exchanges of fire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made some statements in which he directly referred to the conflict with Hezbollah.

Netanyahu maintained before the military leadership of the Air Force that Israel has "established a principle" in its fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon: "Whoever harms us, his blood is on his head."

"We have put it into practice," Netanyahu said while visiting the Israeli Air Force's operational headquarters in Kirya. "We know the road is long, but we are determined to restore security in the north and return residents safely to their homes."

Security in northern Israel is among Netanyahu's gambles to stay in power, due to the political pressure exerted against the government by the situation. There are more than 70,000 displaced civilians waiting to return to their homes in the north, yet the conflict with Hezbollah is only escalating. A truce with Hamas in Gaza could be a condition for a gradual cessation of fighting in the north.

Netanyahu sends new delegation to negotiate a truce

Just this Monday, it was learned that Prime Minister Netanyahu will send a new Israeli delegation to participate in the negotiations for the release of the hostages and a truce in the Gaza Strip.

Despite this, in other statements on Thursday, Netanyahu again assured that the war in Gaza will end when all of his government's objectives are met, which translates into the elimination of Hamas and its departure from power in the Gaza Strip.