Hezbollah Fighting with Israel grows amid threat of retaliation

Fighting between Hezbollah and Israel intensified over the weekend despite diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions between the two and prevent an expected Hezbollah and Iranian attack against Israel.

- William Christou

On Saturday, Israel carried out one of bloodiest attacks against civilians since fighting began in October, killing 10 people, including Syrian workers and their family members, in what it said was a strike on a Hezbollah weapons depot in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon. Hezbollah responded with a 55-missile barrage at the town of Ayelet HaShahar in northern Israel.

Three Unifil peacekeepers were also slightly injured in an explosion yesterday while on patrol in the Lebanese border town of Yarin. A Unifil source said they believed the peacekeepers were injured in a nearby Israeli airstrike but that they were still investigating the incident.

The threat of a full-scale war loomed larger than ever after 10 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by the latter launching rockets at Israel "in solidarity" with Hamas's 7 October attack.