An Israeli strike killed a Hezbollah commander and 14 others in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh, raising fears of further escalation. Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging near-daily fire across the border since Oct 7. The Israeli military said it had killed Hezbollah commander Ali al-Debs, his deputy, and another fighter in Nabatiyeh on Wednesday. The strike had killed eleven civilians, including seven from the same family. The Israeli army said it carried out Wednesday’s strikes after a soldier was killed by rocket fire from Lebanon. Debs had already been targeted and wounded in an Israeli drone strike in the southern city on February 8. Fears have been growing of another full-blown conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which last went to war in 2006.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the Israeli strikes and “new massacres,” particularly the civilian deaths in Nabatiyeh. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) urged “all parties involved to halt hostilities immediately to prevent further escalation.” The cross-border exchanges have killed at least 262 people on the Lebanese side, most of them Hezbollah fighters but also including 40 civilians, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, 10 soldiers and six civilians have been killed, according to the Israeli army.
An Israeli strike killed a Hezbollah commander and 14 others in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh, raising fears of further escalation. The Israeli military said it had killed Hezbollah commander Ali al-Debs, his deputy, and another fighter in Nabatiyeh on Wednesday. The strike had killed eleven civilians, including seven from the same family. Fears have been growing of another full-blown conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which last went to war in 2006. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) urged “all parties involved to halt hostilities immediately to prevent further escalation.” The cross-border exchanges have killed at least 262 people on the Lebanese side, most of them Hezbollah fighters but also including 40 civilians, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, 10 soldiers and six civilians have been killed, according to the Israeli army.