Hezbollah Launches Rockets At Israel After Iran Vows “Harsher Response

Hezbollah has intensified its attacks on Israeli military installations in recent days. The group, based in Lebanon, is financially and militarily supported by Iran. The attacks were reportedly in response to Israeli incursions into southern Lebanese villages, including strikes on Srifa, Odaisseh, and Rab Tlatin.

The Israeli military identified approximately 35 rocket launches from Lebanon into the Ein Zeitim area. In the response, no casualties were reported, and Israeli forces retaliated by targeting the sources of the rocket fire. Casualties have continued to mount on both sides since the onset of hostilities.

According to AFP, in Lebanon, at least 376 people, predominantly Hezbollah fighters, and 70 civilians have been killed. On the Israeli side, 10 soldiers and eight civilians have died. Tensions between Israel and Iran are heightened, with Tehran issuing a stern warning in response to recent provocations, denouncing attacks near Isfahan as “vexatious and malicious”.

Recent incidents include rockets originating from northern Iraq being launched at a military installation in Syria housing a coalition led by the United States. The coalition reported that its aircraft in Iraq took out a launcher in self-defence, with no injuries to U.S. personnel. As Israel marked the beginning of Passover, protests erupted against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the 133 individuals held captive by Hamas in Gaza.

In the US, tensions have flared on university campuses over protests against the Israel-Hamas conflict, with arrests made at Yale University and a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” set up at Columbia. Some Jewish students at Columbia reported feeling intimidated and encountering instances of anti-Semitism during the protests. Lastly, Hamas’ unprecedented attack against Israel on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, while Israel’s retaliation has killed at least 34,151 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children.