United States Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf warned Wednesday of “high degree of volatility” on the border between Lebanon and Israel, commenting that “the potential for escalation is acute”.
“We have of course cautioned Israel regarding its response to the attacks that Hezbollah initiated in the initial hours, as the attacks were unfolding,” she said. “We have certainly used a number of (communication) channels and have been aided by other partners in using their channels, both direct and indirect, to Hezbollah, to warn against widening the conflict.”
Barbara Leaf’s warnings came as the southern front flared up on Wednesday, with the Israeli army announcing an “offensive action” in the south of the country. It claimed that its air force and artillery had hit 40 Hezbollah targets and killed half of its commanders in the area.
“Troops are deployed in large numbers on the border, and the armed forces are currently carrying out offensive actions throughout southern Lebanon,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement. “Half of Hezbollah’s commanders in southern Lebanon have been eliminated, while the other half are in hiding, leaving the way clear for Israeli military operations,” he continued.
A spokesman for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) told AFP that it had “not detected any land crossings” of the border on Wednesday.
“Around half of Hezbollah’s field commanders in southern Lebanon have been liquidated, and the coming period will be decisive,” said Gallant during a visit to the Northern Command headquarters. “Our main objective is to bring the people of northern Israel home,” he added.
These comments were denied by a senior Hezbollah official, who described them as “futile” and aimed at “boosting Israeli morale”.
On the ground, the Israeli army announced that “its fighter jets and artillery struck around 40 Hezbollah terrorist targets” around Aita al-Shaab, including weapons storage sites.
The army also carried out around thirteen strikes near this locality. The villages of Ramya, Jabal Blat and Khallet Warda were also bombed. Raids also targeted Jabal al-Rihan and Alma el-Chaab.
Incendiary shells were also fired at the forest between Dhayra and Yarin, as well as flares at border villages adjacent to the Blue Line in the western and central sectors.
For its part, Hezbollah announced that it had fired a salvo of rockets at northern Israel in retaliation for Tuesday’s raid on a house in Hanin, in the Bint Jbeil caza, in which two people were killed and six wounded.
Hezbollah also claimed responsibility for attacks on the settlements of Shomera and Avivim. It also targeted Raheb and Rweissat al-Alam positions, as well as gatherings of Israeli soldiers in the north of the country.
