Hezbollah launched more than 60 missiles on an Israeli army base as part of the initial response to the assassination of Hamas commander
Hezbollah announced, on Saturday evening, the martyrdom of 4 of its members in confrontations with the Israeli army on the southern Lebanese border, bringing its death toll to 152, since last October 8.
In 4 separate statements, Hezbollah mourned, “Mustafa Mahmoud Jaber, from the town of Muhaybib (south), Khader Ali Muhanna, from the town of Kafr Kila (south), Abbas Hussein Rammal, and Abdullah Hassan al Asmar, from the town of al Adissa (south)”.
Hezbollah said in its statements that its members “rose as martyrs on the road to Jerusalem,” without providing further details.
The official Lebanese Information Agency reported, “Israeli warplanes launched three raids targeting the coastal area located between the towns of Qulaila and al Ma’alia, close to the Rashidieh Palestinian refugee camp in the Tire district (south)”.
The Lebanese Information Agency pointed out that one of the Israeli raids targeted a house between the towns of al Sharqiya and Kawthariya al Siyad, about 30 km from the border”.
The Lebanese agency added, “Ambulance teams went to the place after information about injuries”.
Hezbollah had previously announced, through a statement, earlier on Saturday, that it had targeted the “Meron” base, northern Israel, with 62 missiles.
This targeting came as an “initial response” to the assassination of the Deputy Head of the Hamas Political Bureau, Saleh al Arouri, a few days ago, in the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
On Tuesday, Hamas movement announced the assassination of Saleh al Arouri and 6 others, including 2 commanders of the al Qassam Brigades and 4 of other Hamas members, by Israeli attack on the southern suburb.
On Friday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech, “The major and dangerous breach that occurred in the southern suburb (referring to the assassination of Arouri) cannot pass, and won’t go unanswered and unpunished, and the decision is up to the square”.
“In solidarity with the Gaza Strip,” Hezbollah and Palestinian factions in Lebanon have been exchanging intermittent daily bombardment with the Israeli army since last October 8, which resulted in dozens of martyrs and wounded on the border and Israeli deaths.
This came after Hezbollah announced on Saturday morning that it fired more than 60 missiles towards an air control base in northern Israel, stressing that it came as part of the initial response to the assassination of the deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, Saleh al Arouri, in Beirut.
According to Hezbollah statement, “The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance, as part of the initial response to the crime of assassinating the great leader Sheikh Saleh al Arouri and his martyred brothers in the southern suburb of Beirut, targeted the Meron Air Control Base with 62 missiles of various types”.
The statement added that the missiles caused direct and confirmed hits at the base.
For its part, the Israeli army said that it monitored the launching of about 40 missiles from Lebanese territory on Saturday morning, adding in a statement that Israeli forces struck a cell responsible for some of the missile launches shortly after that.
Sirens sounded in towns and cities in northern Israel and in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
Saleh al Arouri was killed along with six Hamas officials on Tuesday in an Israeli missile strike, according to a Lebanese security source, that targeted an office of the Palestinian movement in the southern suburb of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, in the first targeting in the Lebanese capital since the start of the war in Gaza.
The Lebanese authorities, Hizballah, Hamas, and Washington said that Israel carried out the operation, but the Israeli government didn’t officially claim responsibility for the operation.
