Israeli attacks on Hezbollah targets fuel fears of escalation | News on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Hezbollah sources told Al Jazeera that the armed group would respond to any Israeli aggression.

The Israeli military said it had attacked several Hezbollah-linked targets in neighboring Lebanon.

In a post on X on Tuesday, the Israeli military said it had hit 10 targets in at least seven different areas of southern Lebanon linked to the Iran-aligned armed group in the overnight raids. The attacks come amid growing concerns that the war in Gaza could spark a regional conflict.

The attacks, in which the military said one Hezbollah fighter was killed, came after Israeli officials vowed retaliation for a rocket attack that hit a playground in the Druze Arab town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Hezbollah has denied carrying out the attack.

The Israeli military said it had also “hit a Hezbollah weapons depot, terror infrastructure facilities, military buildings and a launch pad in southern Lebanon.”

Hezbollah confirmed the death of one of its fighters, Reuters news agency reported.

“We will respond”

Following the attacks on Majdal Shams, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the city on Sunday and promised a “tough response.”

The nighttime attacks announced on Tuesday were at least three Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory since then.

A senior Hezbollah source assured Al Jazeera that the armed group would respond to any Israeli aggression in Lebanon, including with a ground offensive.

It was the first time that Hezbollah commented on Israel’s threats of retaliation.

Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, quoted Hezbollah sources as saying that regardless of the nature of an Israeli attack, “whether it is limited or not,” the group “will respond.”

Foreign mediators have reportedly asked Hezbollah to exercise restraint “so that the conflict can be contained and does not spiral out of control,” our correspondent said.

On Tuesday, Hezbollah claimed that its air defense units had repelled Israeli warplanes that broke the sound barrier over Lebanese airspace.

The group said on Telegram that the fire forced the planes to “retreat behind the borders within occupied Palestine.”

Reuters reported, citing Israeli news agency N12, that an Israeli civilian was killed by a rocket fired from Lebanon.

Wants to avoid war

Under pressure from his nationalist coalition partners, Netanyahu used tough rhetoric regarding the attack on the Golan Heights.

However, there is a widespread belief that Israel is keen to avoid opening another front as it continues its fight against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and bombs the enclave.

Israeli government officials told Reuters on Monday that Israel wanted to harm Hezbollah but did not want to drag the Middle East into a full-scale war.

Hezbollah has said it is ready for war if necessary, but the armed group is believed to fear a full-scale conflict.

The US said it was working to avert the risk of escalation.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed hope on Tuesday that a war between the two countries could still be avoided.

“Although we are seeing a lot of activity on Israel’s northern border, we remain concerned that this could escalate into a full-blown battle. And I don’t think a battle is inevitable,” he said.

However, the stakes are constantly rising as both Israel and Hezbollah shoot across their shared border and accuse each other of atrocities.

Israel said the rocket that hit the Golan Heights and killed at least a dozen children was an Iranian-made Falaq rocket fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon.

The Tehran ally denied responsibility but claimed responsibility for several rocket launches towards Israel on Saturday.

Since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, Israeli forces and Hezbollah have been involved in minor hostilities across the Israeli-Lebanese border.

Since October, about 450 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon, including Hezbollah fighters and civilians.

According to Israel, 23 civilians and at least 17 soldiers have been killed in Hezbollah attacks since October.