Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Galant said Wednesday that Israeli forces have killed half of Hezbollah’s commanders in southern Lebanonas the Israeli Defense Forces carried out a large wave of strikes against dozens of sites belonging to the terrorist group, writes the Times of Israel.
“Half of Hezbollah’s commanders in southern Lebanon have been eliminated… and the other half are hiding and abandoning southern Lebanon to the Israeli Army’s operations,” Gallant said after conducting an assessment at the headquarters of the Northern Command in Safed with the head of the command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, and other senior officers.
He said that Israel’s main objective in the north is to bring back tens of thousands of Israelis displaced by Hezbollah’s daily attacksat their homes.
“We are dealing with a number of alternatives to resolve this issue and the coming period will be decisive in this regard,” Gallant said.
The Israeli army reported that about 40 Hizbullah targets in the city of Aita al-Shabaab were struck in just a few minutes from warplanes and artillery fire.
The wave of strikes came hours after the terror group fired anti-tank rockets at a community in northern Israel.
The military said the targets included weapons depots and other assets, belonging to Hezbollah, and accused Aita al-Shabaab of being used by the terror group and having dozens of sites of its own in the area.
In a statement, the Israeli military said the strikes were “part of efforts to destroy the organization’s infrastructure in the border area.” and not a response to any particular attack.
Israel and Hezbollah exchanged blows
The towns of Aita al-Shaab and Shomerah were attacked
Before the strikes, the military issued an unusual statement, in which they announced that they had begun attacking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Amid the ongoing war, the military usually only announces strikes in Lebanon after they are completed. The announcement states that the strikes were on a much larger scale than usual.
Hours before the wave of strikes, Hezbollah fired several anti-tank guided missiles at the northern community of Avivim, hitting two houses and starting a fire.
The Merom HaGalil Regional Council, which has jurisdiction over Avivim, said that the missiles caused no injuries.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, saying it was “directed at a building in Avivim where “enemy soldiers” were present.
The rocket attack on Avivim came after a wave of strikes by the Israeli air force overnight against Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.
The overnight strikes targeted a rocket launcher in the town of Tire Harfa, after it was used in an attack on the northern community of Shomera on Tuesday evening, the Israeli army said.
Additional targets include Hezbollah infrastructure in Markaba, a building in Aita al-Shabab, and an observation post in Marwahin.
Troops also shelled areas near Chikhine and Kfarchuba with artillery, to “remove threats”the military added.
Hezbollah has struck its deepest blow yet in Israel
The Israeli army said it had no information that its facilities had been hit
Tags: Gallant Israel destroyed Hezbollah command southern Lebanon
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