Israeli warplanes bombed Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Thursday night, hitting hundreds of rocket launcher barrels that were ready to be used to fire immediately toward Israeli territory, the military said.
Since the afternoon, fighter jets have reportedly attacked about 100 rocket launchers, each containing about 1,000 barrels.
“The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will continue to operate to degrade the infrastructure and capabilities of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in order to defend the State of Israel,” the IDF said.
The intense bombardment followed attacks earlier in the week blamed by Lebanon and Hezbollah on Israel, which blew up Hezbollah radios and pagers, killing 37 people and wounding about 3,000 in Lebanon.
In the latest operation on Thursday, Israel dropped dozens of bombs on southern Lebanon, three Lebanese security sources said.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel will continue military action against Hezbollah.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah after a week of escalation.
The United States has also expressed fears of further escalation.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to return tens of thousands of residents evacuated from the northern border areas to their homes. Hezbollah
In a show of support for Hamas after the Oct. 7 attacks, Iran-backed Hezbollah began firing rockets toward northern Israel, forcing many residents to flee to the center of the country.
Since then, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire on a daily basis.
