On Wednesday, February 21 Israel launched fresh airstrikes at several locations inside southern Lebanon targeting civilian areas. Similar airstrikes were carried out on Monday and Tuesday as well. The attacks provoked responses from Hezbollah.
Hezbollah claimed that it had targeted military installations in northern Israel, including some in the occupied Shebaa Farms. It claimed its missiles achieved their targets and hit Israeli forces. There were no reports of casualties. According to Israeli media, some of Hezbollah’s strikes reached as far south as the city of Acre.
At least 14 people were wounded in an Israeli strike in Ghaziyeh on Monday. A similar attack on Nabatiyeh last Wednesday had killed at least 10 people. At least three Hezbollah fighters were also killed in yet another Israeli attack on the same day.
Israeli strikes inside Lebanon since October 8 have killed over 270 people, including Hezbollah fighters and civilians.
Israel has repeatedly threatened to launch large scale attacks inside Lebanon, claiming a security threat from Hezbollah. It has demanded the withdrawal of Hezbollah from southern Lebanon and has threatened to wage a war otherwise.
During a visit to a military base in northern Israel on Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant once again threatened widespread destruction, claiming his country’s forces are capable of attacking any corner of Lebanon. He also boasted of the capability of his country’s forces to operate freely in Syria as well.
Israel has targeted different locations inside Syria since 2011. The frequency of those attacks has also increased since the war in Gaza began.
On Wednesday, it launched a similar airstrike in Damascus killing at least two civilians. According to SANA, Israeli missiles targeted a residential building in Kafr Sousa in the capital.
Hezbollah’s resistance has popular support
Israel’s brutal airstrikes targeting civilian areas in Lebanon and its relentless war in Gaza, which has killed close to 30,000 Palestinians and wounded nearly 70,000, have led to a consolidation of support in favor of Hezbollah.
An opinion poll published by the Consultative Center for Studies and Documentation on February 19 revealed that around two-thirds of Lebanese people surveyed believed that Hezbollah took into account the country’s national interest in its support for the Palestinian people. Around the same number of people felt that the group’s demonstration of strength would deter Israel. The poll is significant as it surveyed people across sects, including those traditionally opposed to Hezbollah.
Equally importantly, the poll showed that 90% of those surveyed believed that US policies are responsible for the Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon.
While Hezbollah has responded to Israeli attacks, it has stopped short of a full-fledged escalation. Its chief Hasan Nasrallah has vowed a strong response to threats from Israel. He has also reiterated his organization’s solidarity with the Palestinian people and demanded the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
