Amid Gaza Conflict, Israel Strikes Hezbollah Positions in Lebanon After Infiltration on Northern Border
by Andrew Bernard
Hezbollah and Palestinian flags are seen in the southern Lebanese village of Houla, near the border with Israel, Aug. 26, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Aziz Taher.
As Israel battles Hamas in the south, the Jewish state on Monday carried out helicopter airstrikes on Hezbollah positions after a reported infiltration of Israeli territory from the north.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a series of statements that it had killed a number of armed suspects that had infiltrated into Israel and that soldiers had been deployed to the area to carry out further searches. The IDF also said that it was carrying out airstrikes after two mortar shells were fired towards Israeli territory, with no injuries reported.
IDF Homefront Command has issued an instruction for the civilians in towns near the Lebanese border to stay indoors until further notice.
Unconfirmed videos and images of the airstrikes on social media depict the destruction of Hezbollah observation posts along the border, and also show the IDF deploying further reinforcements to the area. Hezbollah has erected dozens of observation posts along the Israel–Lebanon border.
According to Lebanese media, Hezbollah has denied involvement in Monday’s infiltration. While the Lebanese terrorist group maintains a stranglehold on southern Lebanon, it has also allowed the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas to operate in its territory.
In April, Hamas fired 36 rockets from Lebanon into Israel, the largest such barrage since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war. While Israel exclusively blamed a Lebanon-based contingent of Hamas for the rocket fire, an IDF spokesman said that the IDF believed Hezbollah was also aware of the attack.
Hezbollah so far has not committed to opening a second front in Israel’s nascent war with Hamas. However, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Hamas’ surprise multi-pronged attack on Israel the prior day was coordinated with both Hezbollah and Iran in biweekly meetings that the groups held with Iran’s Quds Force, the military unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responsible for overseas operations.
