In a statement released today, the Lebanese Hezbollah organization announced that it launched 62 rockets at the Israeli Meron airbase in what it describes as a preliminary response to the assassination of Hamas leader Saleh Arouri in Beirut's southern suburbs. This barrage marks the largest rocket attack since the onset of border skirmishes that began on October 8th.
Hezbollah confirmed that the missile strikes directly hit the Israeli military base, highlighting that Meron Base is the only air control and command center in northern Israel, with no significant alternative.
Al Jazeera's correspondent reported the launch of 32 rockets from southern Lebanon towards Israeli positions in the Upper Galilee, adding that six Kornet anti-tank missiles were fired at Israeli sites across the southern Lebanese border.
A rocket was also launched from southern Lebanon towards an Israeli military position in the settlement of Matula.
Furthermore, the correspondent mentioned that rockets and shells fired from Lebanon landed on Mount Meron in the Upper Galilee of northern Israel, asserting that Israeli forces responded with artillery shelling around several towns in southern Lebanon.
Al Jazeera's correspondent noted that air raid sirens sounded in various areas of the Upper Galilee due to concerns over the infiltration of a drone from southern Lebanon.
On the other hand, an Israeli military spokesperson confirmed today, Saturday, that they detected the launch of about 40 rocket shells from southern Lebanon towards the Meron area in Israel. Al Jazeera's correspondent also reported Israeli artillery shelling targeting areas in southern Lebanon amidst intense warplane activity.
The Israeli army spokesperson added that they targeted a cell in southern Lebanon responsible for firing the rockets towards northern Israel, amid the closure of all roads and junctions along the border with Lebanon by the Israeli army.
Israeli army radio reported a series of airstrikes conducted by the air force in southern Lebanon in retaliation for the shelling.
Israel's Channel 12 reported sirens sounding in 94 towns and cities along the border with Lebanon, including Safed and Karmiel in the Upper Galilee, with four rockets from Lebanon landing in open areas near the town of Kiryat Shmona.
Hezbollah's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah reaffirmed yesterday, Friday, that retaliation for Arouri's assassination is "unavoidable," and that Hezbollah fighters on the border will be the ones to respond.
Overnight Raids
Overnight, Israeli planes bombed an uninhabited house in the town of Aita al-Shaab in southern Lebanon, destroying it and causing damage to several vehicles and the water and electricity networks, according to the Lebanese News Agency.
The agency added that Israeli forces conducted raids after midnight on the outskirts of the towns of Naqoura and Jabal Al-Loubone, with Israeli reconnaissance drones flying over most Lebanese provinces.
Warning of War
Israeli government officials warned on Friday of the potential "outbreak of a limited war" between Israel and Hezbollah if no agreement is reached to keep Hezbollah forces away from the Lebanese border, as conveyed by the official broadcasting authority.
They stated that Israel is close to exhausting attempts to reach an agreement because Hezbollah has not expressed to intermediaries a desire to reach such an agreement.
Officials pointed out that if a war with Hezbollah does break out, it could lead to a comprehensive escalation in the entire region.
The Israeli government was bracing on the northern front for a response from the Lebanese Hezbollah to Arouri's assassination, which took place last Tuesday. However, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that Israeli assessments at the time did not see an increase in fighting on the northern front following the assassination in southern Beirut.
