Israel bombs Hezbollah sites in Lebanon
The Israeli military said its fighter jets attacked Hezbollah military buildings in Aita al-Shaab, Beit Lif and Hula in southern Lebanon.
‘Heavy drone, rocket attack’ reported in northern Israel
Israel’s Ynetnews is reporting a “heavy drone, rocket” attack on the Western Galilee area in northern parts of the country. The Israeli military said a “number of suspicious aerial targets” crossed from the territory of Lebanon and that its air defences had intercepted some of them. Some of the projectiles fell in the Ya’ara region, it added.
Hezbollah claims attack on Israeli troops in northern Israel
On Telegram, the Lebanese group says its fighters struck a military site and soldiers in the Zarit settlement with artillery fire. The statement said part of the outpost was destroyed and caught fire after the attack. The group said the strike was in response to the Israeli attacks on Lebanon’s southern villages.
Multiple ‘suspicious aerial targets’ launched from Lebanon: Israeli military
The Israeli forces said that its ariel defence systems had intercepted some of the targets while others fell in the area of Ya’ara in northern Israel. Israeli President Isaac Herzog had referred to a rocket attack from Lebanon earlier in the day, telling reporters that “there is information that we have suffered possible casualties”.
The Israeli newspaper, citing the Israeli military, stated there were no casualties, although Israeli Army Radio said that there had been initial reports of damage caused to buildings.
Two dead after Israeli attack in Lebanon
The Lebanese Health Ministry says two people have been killed in an Israeli raid on the town of Hula in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah announces killing of 2 members
The Lebanese group says on Telegram that they were killed “on the road to Jerusalem,” an expression it uses for deaths in Israeli attacks. In the statement, they are named as Abbas Melhem from Majdal Selem and Muhammad Qaddouh from Ghandouriyeh – two villages in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah claims to have ‘thwarted’ Israeli infiltration into south Lebanon
Hezbollah says its fighters have thwarted an infiltration attempt by a group of Israeli soldiers into the Horsh Hadab Aina area in southern Lebanon. The armed group added in a statement that, after monitoring and tracking the soldiers, they targeted them with rocket and artillery shells. It said they inflicted “confirmed casualties” on the soldiers who were forced to retreat.
Israel claims strikes on southern Lebanon
Israeli jets have hit Hezbollah targets in the areas of Aita al-Shaab and Hanine, according to a military statement. It said aircraft struck fighters and a military building as well as a rocket launcher in separate attacks, the statement added.
Israeli jets again break sound barrier over Beirut
Israeli warplanes have again flown low over the Lebanese capital, breaking the sound barrier after several days of relative calm. To find out more about how the Israeli military has for long used the tactic in its psychological warfare, read this.
Breaking
Two loud sonic booms heard across Beirut as Israeli jets broke sound barrier.
I captured the second one.
Children were playing in the school’s playground. You can hear them screaming…
We had a few days of calm in Beirut but it seems it started again. pic.twitter.com/CoDLm4eRvq
— Nafiseh Kohnavard (@nafisehkBBC) August 19, 2024
Hezbollah claims missile attack on Israeli military site
The Lebanese group has claimed to have hit Israel’s Bayyad Blida military site near the Lebanon-Israel border with a Burkan missile. The group said in a statement on Telegram that the attack came at 1:35pm (10:35 GMT), without elaborating on the results.
Israeli soldier killed in drone attack in northern Israel: Army
Chief Warrant Officer Mahmood Amaria has been killed in the strike carried out in the Baram area in the morning, the Israeli military says in a statement. Amaria, 45, was a part of the 300th “Baram” Regional Brigade, the statement said, adding that one other soldier was seriously injured in the attack and is being treated.
Hezbollah-Israel conflict is gradually expanding
Undoubtedly, this conflict’s trajectory is on the rise. There has been an escalation in hostilities since the killing of Hezbollah’s top commander in Beirut.
What we’re seeing is that Israel is carrying out attacks deeper inside Lebanon, causing more civilian casualties.
In the past, it used to make sure that these were surgical strikes, and that civilians were not hurt. But in recent days, we’ve seen some targeted killings in busy intersections. These attacks have caused further displacement in the south [of Lebanon]. We’re talking to up to 7,000 people leaving their homes. That’s an 8 percent increase in the last 10 days alone.
Now Hezbollah, in turn, is trying to do the same. It has expanded its attacks in northern Israel, striking deeper up to 18km [11.2 miles], hitting military targets but also hitting new towns that have not been evacuated.
So, they are still not deliberately targeting civilians but are trying to create a bigger buffer zone along the border with Israel, putting more military pressure, trying to cause further displacement, because all this adds pressure on the Israeli government.
