Israel-Hezbollah conflict beginning new phase, IDF says

Tel Aviv’s troops must be ready, Israeli Major General Uri Gordin said on Wednesday, the morning after the Lebanon-based terrorist group struck far south into the coastal city. Gordin’s comments follow a recent uptick in air and missile strikes between the Israel Defense Forces and the group. The military was still working to return Israeli civilians to their homes in Northern Israel, Gordin said while visiting IDF troops stationed near the border with Lebanon.

What’s going on in the war right now? The IDF reported that missile sirens all across central Israel and the Tel Aviv area were going off Wednesday. The IDF accused Hezbollah of launching roughly 40 missiles across Lebanon’s border toward Israel. Israeli missile defenses shot down most of the projectiles, but one missile did land in a residential neighborhood. No casualties resulted from the explosion, the IDF said. In social media statements Wednesday, Hezbollah claimed credit for attacking two targets in Israel.

Hezbollah’s attack followed overnight airstrikes in which Israel reportedly destroyed several locations Hezbollah was using to house and launch missiles. Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli missiles killed the commander of Hezbollah’s Missile and Rocket Force, Ibrahim Muhammad Qabisi, the IDF reported. The strike in Beirut also killed other Hezbollah officials, the Israeli military said. On Wednesday the Israeli Air Force continued attacking dozens of alleged Hezbollah targets, according to the IDF.

Dig deeper: Read A.S. Ibrahim’s column in WORLD Opinions about how Israel is turning its attention toward Israel as the one-year anniversary of its war with Hamas approaches.