The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah took responsibility for about 30 rockets that were launched from Lebanon towards Kiryat Shmona in North Israel on Wednesday morning, stating that it was a response to Israeli strikes on a paramedic centre linked to Jamaa Islamiya, a Sunni Muslim group in the Southern Lebanese village of al-Habbariyeh that killed seven people.
The death of one man, a 25-year-old factory worker, has been confirmed by Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service.
This incident is not an isolated one as fires have been exchanged between Hezbollah and Israel ever since Hamas’ surprise attack on Southern Israel out of the Gaza strip on 7 October, 2023. Two members of the same group were killed in an air strike in Beirut on January 2 along with Saleh al-Arouri, a top Hamas militant.
Effects and Reactions
According to Zeina Khodr, a reporter in al-Habbariyeh, Israeli strikes resulted in the deaths of young men and destruction of the emergency health centre. The Israeli army claims otherwise, stating that it had killed a significant operative, stating that their target had “promoted plots towards Israeli territory” and was eliminated along with “other terrorists.” However, locals have allegedly maintained that this was a deliberate civilian target.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry has condemned the Israeli air strike, maintaining that these attacks violate international laws and norms, including the Geneva Convention which emphasizes the neutrality of health centres and healthcare workers.
Both Hezbollah and Israel seem to be open to diplomatic processes over all-out war. However, Hamas had declined the latest truce proposal, stating that Israel was ignoring their fundamental demands of Israel’s full withdrawal from the Gaza strip and an end to the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday that his government will not accept Hamas’ “delusional” conditions for a ceasefire.
The Death toll of the destructive war
The Israel-Hamas War is an active armed conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant groups, including the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, led by Hamas. Hezbollah has been an active part of the conflict against Israel following their declaration of support and praise for Hamas’ initial attack. It is understood as the largest escalation of the Hezbollah-Israel Conflict since the Lebanon War in 2006.
The latest death toll of the conflict stands at 32,943 Palestinians and 1,139 people killed since October 7, 2023. According to Gaza’s health ministry, women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
