On Wednesday (October 2), one day after Iran launched a large-scale missile attack on Israel, Israeli ground forces engaged in fierce fighting with Hezbollah militants supported by Iran on the frontlines in Lebanon. The Israeli military stated that early Thursday, Israeli jets bombed a building in Beirut, once again targeting Hezbollah positions with precision strikes.
According to reports from Reuters, the target of this attack was in the Bachoura area of Beirut, which is the closest to the city center.
Lebanese health officials reported that the Israeli airstrikes resulted in at least 6 deaths and 7 injuries.
The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, posted on social media on Thursday saying, “Three missiles also hit Dahiyeh in the southern suburbs of (Beirut).”
Last week, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh. Nasrallah’s death dealt a heavy blow to Hezbollah and caused Iran to lose its most powerful proxy in the Middle East.
Iran-backed Hezbollah, Yemeni Houthi rebels, and radical armed groups in Iraq have all launched attacks on Israel from Dahiyeh in support of Hamas, the Palestinian armed group, in its war against Israel.
The Houthis have been carrying out attacks in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways, disrupting normal international trade. The group claimed on Thursday that they used drones to attack Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial hub.
The organization claimed that their drones went undetected and successfully hit the target. However, Israel stated that a suspicious airborne target was intercepted in central Israel on Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, Israeli infantry and armored forces joined the ground operations in Lebanon.
On the same day, Hezbollah stated that ground combat occurred for the first time since the Israeli invasion of Lebanon on Monday.
The organization claimed that they destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks with rockets near the border town of Maroun El Ras.
The Israeli military announced that eight Israeli soldiers were killed in ground combat in southern Lebanon as Israeli ground forces advanced into the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a television speech, offering condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers in the ground combat in Lebanon.
He said, “We are engaged in a difficult battle against the evil axis of Iran, who is trying to destroy us, but that will not happen. Because we will stand united, and with God’s help, we will prevail.”
Iran stated on Wednesday that its missile attacks on Israel had ended if there were no further provocations. However, Israel and the United States pledged to make Iran “face the consequences” for its attacks.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden stated that he would not support Israeli retaliatory actions against Iran’s nuclear facilities but supported Israel taking “proportionate” actions.
The White House announced that Biden had conversations with leaders from the G7 to coordinate responses, including implementing new sanctions against Tehran.
G7 leaders expressed strong concerns about the situation in the Middle East, stating in a joint declaration that a diplomatic solution is still viable and that escalating conflicts serve no one’s interests.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) urged residents of evacuated villages in Lebanon not to return until further notice.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on social media, “The IDF’s assault operations are ongoing.”
The Israeli military stated that its cross-border operations were primarily aimed at destroying Hezbollah tunnels and other military infrastructure along the Lebanon border, with no plans for wider military operations in Beirut or major southern Lebanese cities.
Nevertheless, Israel issued new evacuation orders for over twenty towns along the southern Lebanon border, directing residents to move north of the Awali River, about 60 kilometers away from the Israeli border to seek refuge from the conflict.
Official statistics from Lebanon indicate that over 1,900 people have died, and more than 9,000 have been injured in the conflict over the past year, with the majority of casualties occurring in the last two weeks. Approximately 1.2 million Lebanese people have been displaced due to the war.
On October 8, 2023, the day after Hamas carried out a terror attack against Israel, armed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon began launching rockets towards Israel, sparking continuous clashes between the two sides in the following year. Hamas’ “October 7th terror attack” ignited the flames of the ongoing conflict between the two parties.