Israel strikes several towns in southern Lebanon as tensions escalate
The Israeli regime stages a fresh bout of strikes against Lebanon under the pretext of hitting back against the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, which it stubbornly blames for a recent attack on the Israeli-occupied Syrian territory of Golan Heights.
The strikes took place against the southern Lebanese towns of Houla, Markaba, Aita al-Shaab, Khiam, Shaheen, Yaroun, Mays al-Jabal, Kfarkela, and Bourj al-Shamali on Monday, Lebanese media outlets reported.
This is the second time the regime carries out sweeping raids against the country since Saturday, when a rocket attack killed at least 12 people in Syria’s Golan Heights.
Israeli officials, including prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, foreign minister Israel Katz, hard-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, and military spokesman Daniel Hagari, have insisted that Hezbollah was behind the attack, and pledged to take it out on the movement.
The resistance group has, however, strongly denied any role in the incident.
In a statement that followed the attack, Hezbollah stressed that “the Islamic Resistance has absolutely nothing to do with the incident, and categorically denies all false allegations in this regard.”
Some reports have suggested that the explosion that had hit the Syrian village was likely caused by a stray projectile fired by the Israeli regime’s so-called Iron Dome missile system.
The Israeli regime, which waged two wars against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006, has been threatening over the past 10 months to bring Lebanon under another wholesale military onslaught.
It has been carrying out numerous attacks against the country throughout the period. Israeli officials have also repeatedly threatened to “to burn Lebanon, destroy it, and return it to the Stone Age.”
Hezbollah has been retaliating with rocket strikes against military targets lying across the northern part of the occupied Palestinian territories.
The movement has also pledged to defend the country with all its resources in the event of another Israeli war.
On Sunday, AFP cited a “source close to the group” as saying that it had evacuated positions in southern and eastern Lebanon in case the regime chose to heighten the escalation.
"Hezbollah has evacuated some positions in the south and in the Bekaa Valley that it thinks could be a target for Israel," the source said.
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