Hezbollah attacks kill two Israeli soldiers, wound others as escalation threatens Gaza ceasefire
A Hezbollah missile and drone attack in northern Israel killed two Israel Defense Forces soldiers and wounded nine others on Thursday, as U.S. and French officials warned the escalation could scuttle already troubled Gaza ceasefire and hostage negotiations.
Following massive pager and radio attacks targeting thousands of Hezbollah operatives earlier this week, the terror group launched a series of retaliatory strikes across the border that killed IDF Maj. Nael Fwarsy, 43, and Sgt. Tomer Keren, 20.
Fwarsy was stationed in the Western Galilee when an explosives-laden drone exploded, killing him and wounding another soldier, the IDF said.
Keren was in a separate unit in the Galilee when Hezbollah fired two anti-tank missiles that hit the company, wounding Keren and eight others.
The 20-year-old was rushed to a nearby hospital but died from his injuries, the Israeli military said.
The soldiers’ deaths came as Israel launched a new wave of airstrikes in Lebanon on Thursday that coincided with a speech by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah denouncing the pager attacks and vowing revenge against the Jewish state.
The new strikes represent the latest escalation in near-daily attacks between the Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warning both sides to avoid all-out war so as not to derail U.S.-backed ceasefire talks in Gaza.
“We do not want to see any escalation of violence on any side,” Blinken said during his meeting in Paris with the administration of French President Emmanuel Macron.
“France and the United States are united in calling for restraint and de-escalation with regard to the Middle East in general and Lebanon in particular,” Blinken added.
Macron echoed calls for de-escalation during a call with Lebanon’s top political and military officials on Thursday.
It is unclear whether the warnings will be heeded, as Israeli officials have reiterated that they are prepared for a two-front war against Hezbollah, which began attacking the Jewish state on Oct. 8 in solidarity with Hamas.
The terror group has vowed revenge against Israel for the pager and walkie-talkie attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday that killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 3,200.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also vowed to join the attack after Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was wounded in Tuesday’s attack.
“These terrorist acts are undoubtedly the result of desperation and successive failures of the Zionist regime (Israel),” IRGC commander Hossein Salami told Hezbollah, according to Iranian state media.
“This will soon be met with a crushing response from the resistance axis and we will witness the destruction of this bloodthirsty and criminal regime,” Salami added.
