Israeli Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant has told visiting US envoy, Amos Hochstein that there must be a “new reality” on the border with Lebanon.
“We will not tolerate the threats posed by the Iranian proxy, Hezbollah, and we will ensure the security of our citizens,” Gallant was quoted as saying in a ministry statement.
This came as a post on the Israeli military’s official X account disclosed that Israeli fighter jets hit the Lebanese group’s positions near the southern Lebanese village of Maroun al-Ras.
The post also said Israeli troops struck a Hezbollah anti-tank missile unit nearby.
Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed nine Hezbollah members, including a local chief of the movement, Hezbollah said.
The Lebanese group says in a statement that its sniper force targeted Israeli army “spy equipment” at Miskaf General in northern Israel.
The statement added that the equipment was destroyed.
Exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah across the border have been a regular feature of the ongoing conflict, but tensions have been heightened after Tuesday’s assassination in Beirut of senior Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri.
Al-Arouri was buried today, Thursday, January 4, 2023.
According to a reporter, his funeral was not about exacting a call for revenge but rather “a showing of defiance and unity.”
He divulged, “All of the various Palestinian factions here in Lebanon came out in force.”
He added, “A delegation of about 20 senior Hezbollah leadership also joined them as a sign of respect and of unity.”
Palestinian refugees who have lived in Lebanon’s refugee camps for several generations also showed their respects.
Gilbert Achcar, a professor of international relations at the London School of Oriental and African Studies, says that Hezbollah’s reaction to the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut has been typical of the group.
“There was nothing really surprising in the reaction of Hezbollah until now, which has been to promise retaliation,” he said. “But these kinds of promises have been made several times on several occasions.”
Hezbollah is facing a dilemma because Lebanon is a country which is on the verge of the abyss, and it has already suffered from heavy aggressions by Israel in the past, he continued.
“Given the country’s economic crisis today, taking the responsibility of engaging Lebanon in a major exchange of very intensive bombing with Israel is not something that Hezbollah can take lightly,” Achcar said.
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