Israel strikes hundreds of targets in Lebanon as Hezbollah vows revenge for device blasts
The Hindu
Israel strikes Lebanon after Hezbollah vows retaliation, escalating tensions and risking wider conflict in the region.
Israel said it struck hundreds of targets in Lebanon, hours after Hezbollah's leader vowed to retaliate for two "unprecedented" rounds of attacks targeting its operatives' communication devices.
Israel has not commented on the explosion of thousands of Hezbollah pagers and radios, which killed 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 over two days this week, but it has been blamed by the Iran-backed group for the attacks.
Speaking for the first time since the deadly device sabotage, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed on Thursday (September 19, 2024) that Israel would face retribution.
Describing the attacks as a "massacre" and a possible "act of war", Mr. Nasrallah said Israel would face "tough retribution and just punishment, where it expects it and where it does not".
As he delivered his televised address, Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier over Beirut.
Hours later, Israel's military said its jets hit "approximately 100 launchers and additional terrorist infrastructure sites, consisting of approximately 1000 barrels" set to be fired immediately.
According to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency, Israel struck the south of Lebanon at least 52 times.