UPDATE - Israel launches intensive airstrikes against southern Lebanon amid escalating tensions

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Wassim Seifeddine

BEIRUT (AA) - Israel carried out intensive airstrikes Thursday against several towns in southern Lebanon amid growing concerns about an escalation of the conflict between Hezbollah and Tel Aviv.

The tension follows two waves of explosions targeting wireless devices in Lebanon that resulted in 37 deaths and thousands of injuries.

An Anadolu Agency reporter confirmed that more than 50 airstrikes occurred in towns in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that warplanes “conducted a series of strikes on Mahmoudiyeh area near Aaichiyeh village and Kasarat al-Aroosh in the Jezzine area.”

“Israeli enemy aircraft launched ten missiles toward the Birket Jabbour area,” it said.

In a separate incident, four people were injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting the town of Hanniyeh in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon, according to the Health Ministry.

The ministry noted that those injured included three Palestinians and a Lebanese citizen.

For its part, Hezbollah said in a statement Thursday evening that it targeted the Israeli military site of Metula in northern Israel with a barrage of Falaq rockets.

Following the attack, the mayor of Metula said the rockets launched from southern Lebanon resulted in several fires and caused significant damage to homes, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

In another statement, the Lebanese group said it also struck the command headquarters of the Shomera Battalion in northern Israel with a salvo of Katyusha rockets.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said it "struck 30 Hezbollah launchers ready to fire 150 rockets toward Israel."

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have intensified in recent days following a wave of explosions Wednesday that affected “ICOM” wireless devices across Lebanon, resulting in 25 deaths and 450 injuries.

The explosions followed similar blasts Tuesday that struck pager devices, leading to 12 deaths, including two children, and injuring 2,800 others, with 300 in critical condition.

The Lebanese government and Hezbollah held Israel responsible for the pager explosions, and threatened it with “severe consequences.”

There has been no Israeli comment on the blasts, which came amid an escalation in cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of Israel’s deadly war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 41,300 victims, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio