Six IDF soldiers injured by Hezbollah attacks, situation will have to change drastically says IDF chief

Israeli concerns that the northern border will erupt into a full-blown war with Hezbollah have increased in recent days, as last week, the terror group killed an Israeli farmer and in the following days wounded nine IDF soldiers in total.

The situation on Israel’s northern border will have to change radically, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi warned after six Israeli soldiers were injured in an attack by Hezbollah on Sunday.

Two soldiers were moderately wounded and four others were lightly injured by shrapnel and smoke inhalation in a Hezbollah attack using several drones on an IDF post in the Western Galilee.

The IDF said two of the drones launched from Lebanese territory were shot down by the Iron Dome aerial defense system.

This incident, along with the death of the civilian farmer and injuries to three Israeli soldiers during a Hezbollah attack, represents a serious escalation of the conflict.

On Sunday, Israel responded with waves of massive airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

Footage posted to social media shows Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon this morning. pic.twitter.com/ubNNhC9wg2

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 10, 2023

The Israeli strikes were seen as a “new escalation,” warned Hassan Fadlallah, a senior Hezbollah politician in Lebanon, on Sunday. Fadlallah said the strikes would be answered in kind, either “in the nature of the weapons (used) or the targeted sites.”

Later on Sunday, Hezbollah said it launched heavy Burkan rockets, carrying several hundred kilos of explosives, at an IDF post near Arab al-Aramshe in one of at least seven claims of responsibility for attacks against Israel.

The Lebanon branch of the Hamas terror group also took responsibility for launching a barrage in the direction of Western Galilee.

The attacks continued on Monday, as a barrage of at least six rockets was fired at the area of Ma’alot Tarshiha early in the morning. All were intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system.

Hezbollah launched several rockets toward Israel last night, including from a point 20 meters away from a @UN compound in southern Lebanon. Additional launches have been made from the area toward Israel in recent days.

By continuing to fire at Israel from near a U.N. compound,… pic.twitter.com/Xo9CggcGpK

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 10, 2023

Israel’s airstrikes on Sunday were described as “the most violent escalation the region has witnessed in two months” by the Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.

According to Arab media, the strikes targeted at least 10 villages across southern Lebanon, including Aitaroun, Yaroun, Kounine and Rmeich.

“The pace of bombing in the central sector was the heaviest, and Israel relied mainly on air strikes, which brings to mind the scenes and developments of the 2006 war,” a local source told Asharq al-Awsat.

The Israeli statement said that the Air Force had conducted an “extensive wave of attacks,” which is unusual wording that hasn’t been used since Hezbollah joined the conflict the day after Hamas started it on Oct. 7.

In addition to destroying military targets, including rocket launch sites and command posts, the IDF said it thwarted at least two anti-tank missile squads in the attempt to fire at Israel.

IDF Chief Halevi toured the northern border on Sunday and held a situation assessment with the commanders of the brigades and battalions in the sector.

In response to recent warnings by the leaders of the border communities that have been evacuated because of the security situation, Halevi said that a sense of security had to be re-established before the residents could return.

“There is a military way to do it… to harm and deter, to kill Hezbollah operatives, to show our superiority, and it can also come in the form of an attack and a war, and it may be that over time it will also have other… solutions because we are focusing… on other things.”

“The State of Israel has never… said war is the first solution to try, but we understand that this should end in a very, very different situation,” Halevi added.