As Israel and Hezbollah continue to trade blows, Lebanese minister says country has enough supplies for weeks of war

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out a series of strikes on Hezbollah terror sites in southern Lebanon on Sunday. 

In a statement, the IDF claimed responsibility for a drone strike on a Hezbollah terror cell in the town of Chebaa and an airstrike on a weapons depot.

Local reports in Lebanon claimed that the drone strike killed Hezbollah member Fadi Kanaan, a leader in the Radwan Force, while the Lebanese Public Health Ministry reported that one civilian and was killed and another injured in the strike. 

The IDF said another IAF airstrike targeted a weapons depot and another facility belonging to Hezbollah in Ayta ash-Shab and Matmoura, as well as a rocket launcher in at-Tiri. 

כלי טיס תקף מוקדם יותר היום חוליית מחבלים מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שפעלה במרחב שבעא שבדרום לבנון.

בתקיפה נוספת במרחב שבעא, מטוסי קרב תקפו והשמידו מחסן אמצעי לחימה ששימש את ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה >> pic.twitter.com/zfe3dKwCj0

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 18, 2024

Following those strikes, a barrage of rockets was fired towards Israel’s northern communities, targeting the Kiryat Shmona area. Some of the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system, while others fell in open areas. 

At the time of publication, there were no reported injuries from the rocket attacks. 

A barrage of 20 rockets was fired a short while ago from Lebanon at the Kiryat Shmona area, according to the IDF.

Some of the rockets were intercepted by air defenses, and there are no reports of injuries. pic.twitter.com/1gvRSTIIjB

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 18, 2024

Lebanese Environmental Minister Nasser Yassin said, in the event of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon has enough food reserves to last four months and fuel reserves to last four weeks,  

In an interview on Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, a Qatar news site, Yassin said that the country has enough medical supplies for its hospitals to last several weeks. 

Yassin claimed that around 100,000 people have fled Lebanon’s southern region, while around 500 people have died during the cross-border conflict since last October. While Yassin did not offer a breakdown of the casualties, it is believed that the 500 reported deaths include the 412 Hezbollah members killed in targeted Israeli strikes on the terror group. 

Civilians on both sides of the border have evacuated the areas affected by rocket attacks or IDF strikes as the conflict has persisted for months.

Following the killing of Fuad Shukr in Beirut last month, Hezbollah has threatened to retaliate against Israel. However, the group has reportedly held off its attack while hostage-ceasefire negotiations are ongoing.