Hezbollah fired many rockets into northern Israel after Hamas commander Saleh Arouri was killed in Lebanon’s capital. Just a day after Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah called for retaliation, the strike occurred. Even if it escalated tensions, Nasrallah maintained that not responding would leave Lebanon susceptible to Israeli attacks.
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Hezbollah Strikes Israeli Base as Tensions Escalate: Blinken Initiates Diplomatic Efforts
Hezbollah claimed direct hits from 62 missiles on an Israeli air surveillance base on Mount Meron. The Israeli military targeted the Hezbollah group that fired 40 missiles at Meron. In addition to the cross-border exchange, Israeli aircraft hit southern Lebanon, killing people in the Kouthariyeh al-Siyad hamlet. The Israeli army gave no immediate response to border shelling, including in Khiam.
The military branch of Hamas’ partner Islamic Group in Lebanon fired rockets against Kiryat Shmona, killing two group members, including Arouri.
Under these circumstances, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken began an urgent Middle East diplomacy tour to resolve the Israel-Hamas conflict. Since a fatal Hamas strike on southern Israel started the war, Israel has scaled back in northern Gaza and intensified the offensive in the south.
Thousands of Palestinian Casualties in Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
Palestinian casualties in Hamas-run Gaza reached 22,722 since the conflict began, with 122 in the preceding 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry. A large number of casualties were women and children, the ministry said. Israeli-dropped leaflets advised Palestinians to evacuate hospitals due to “dangerous fighting.”
In Turkey, Blinken sought support for post-war Gaza plans and methods to prevent the conflict from spreading. During his visit to Beirut, EU foreign policy leader Josep Borrell pledged to launch a European-Arab two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. For these diplomatic efforts, Borrell planned to visit Saudi Arabia.
As regional and international parties try to de-escalate and resolve the crisis, tensions linger.
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