Israel has threatened an all-out war with Hezbollah with the situation ‘critical’. In a stark warning on Tuesday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared that the ongoing tensions with Iran-backed Hezbollah at the Lebanon-Israel border are pushing the region perilously close to a full-scale military conflict.
Following his meeting with US envoy Amos Hochstein, Gallant said: “We are committed to the diplomatic process; however, Hezbollah’s aggression is bringing us closer to a critical point in the decision-making regarding our military activities in Lebanon.”
The statement came after a series of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, resulting in the tragic death of a family of three in the border town of Houla, according to first responders.
The strikes occurred just a day after White House senior adviser Amos Hochstein visited Lebanese political and military officials in Beirut, aiming to de-escalate the ongoing clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli military along the volatile border.
Lebanon’s Civil Defence and Hezbollah’s Islamic Health unit reported that the bodies of Hassan Hussein, his wife Rwaida Mostafa, and their 25-year-old son were pulled from the wreckage of a house targeted in the airstrikes.
Civil Defence teams are actively searching for additional victims.
On the same day, the Israeli military announced that it had struck what it described as a Hezbollah military site near Ayta ash Shab in southern Lebanon.
According to the Israeli military, two anti-tank missiles had been launched from this location towards Biranit on the Israeli side of the border. No injuries were reported in this particular incident.
In addition to the strikes near Ayta ash Shab, the Israeli military claimed to have targeted a Hezbollah operational command centre near Jabal al Baba, launch posts close to Matmoura, and military compounds near Majdal Zoun, Houla, and Kafra.
The military did not mention the family reported killed in Houla.
