Israeli drone strikes have reportedly killed two individuals in southern Lebanon as tensions between the two neighboring countries escalate. This Israeli action marks the first fatal attack following a rocket assault on Saturday, in which Israel claimed that 12 children and young people were killed in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. This incident has raised concerns that the conflict in Gaza may evolve into a regional war.
Lebanese state media reported that an attack targeted a motorcycle near the border, resulting in two fatalities among the riders and injuring a boy. Additionally, two others were wounded in a separate incident in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military confirmed that they had struck Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure but did not provide further details.
Israel has accused Hezbollah, a militant group based in Lebanon that is allied with Iran, of being responsible for the deadly rocket attack over the weekend. The two parties have been engaged in a low-intensity conflict along the border for an extended period. Hezbollah has vowed to continue its attacks on Israel in solidarity with Gaza but denied any responsibility for the recent events.
On Sunday evening, Israel’s security cabinet authorized the government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to carry out retaliatory strikes. The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth cited anonymous Israeli officials who indicated that Israel’s response would be “limited, but significant.” Possible reaction options included targeted strikes on infrastructure such as bridges and ports, as well as direct attacks on Hezbollah’s weapon stockpiles.
With anticipated Israeli counterstrikes, Hezbollah and its affiliated groups have begun evacuating some positions in Lebanon and Syria to avoid becoming targets. Concerns regarding Israeli retaliatory strikes have also extended to Beirut’s international airport, where chaos reigned on Monday morning with numerous flight cancellations and long queues of passengers.
“There is concern that the airport could become a target,” reported Al Jazeera reporter Zeina Khodr from the airport. “Sources here have told us that Israeli drones have been flying over the area throughout the night.”
Both Israel and Hezbollah have seemingly been restrained in avoiding full-scale war since they began exchanging attacks in October, primarily limiting their operations to border areas and military targets. However, according to Khodr, there is “great concern” in Lebanon that the latest wave of attacks could alter the situation and lead to broader conflict within the country.
Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C., noted that neither Israel nor Hezbollah is interested in a total war. Both parties fear the uncontrollable and unpredictable consequences of a larger conflict that could involve Iran. “I don’t think the Israeli Prime Minister is interested in a total war, especially since it would result in massive displacement of civilians along the combat zones,” Slim stated.