Israel's defense minister provided a boost to strikes on Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, even if a cease-fire is achieved with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Hezbollah, engaged in ongoing conflict with Israel during the war in Gaza, has announced its intention to stop its frequent attacks on Israel if a cease-fire is established in Gaza, as per AP News.
Israel Rejects Ceasefire Extension to Northern Front
TOPSHOT - Israeli army soldiers patrol an undisclosed area in northern Israel bordering Lebanon on October 15, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. One month after Israel was wracked by Hamas attacks, life has been upended for both the Palestinians and Israel after it launched a war of reprisal in the Gaza Strip. The October 7 attacks by Hamas militants who stormed across from Gaza and struck kibbutzim and southern Israeli areas killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and deeply scarred the nation. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says nearly 9,500 have been killed, two-thirds of them women and children, and mostly civilians.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has categorically stated that the temporary ceasefire agreed upon for Gaza does not extend to the northern front, dispelling any notions of a pause in hostilities in that region.
"We will continue the fire, and we will do so independently from the south, until we achieve our goals," declared Minister Gallant, emphasizing a clear objective - to push Hezbollah away from the Israeli border, either through diplomatic means or by force.
On October 7, Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza, leading Hezbollah to strike Israel. The cycle of Hezbollah rocket assaults and Israeli airstrikes has displaced tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah indicated a willingness to adhere to a ceasefire in southern Lebanon if an agreement were reached in Gaza. However, Nasrallah warned of resumed and escalated attacks should Israel persist in striking Lebanon after any potential deal with Hamas.
A Sunday report revealed that five Hezbollah members were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes on trucks in the border area between Lebanon and Syria. While Hezbollah acknowledged three fatalities, the Israeli military did not confirm the strikes but announced its response to missile launches in southern Lebanon and the targeting of a "terrorist cell" in the town of Blida.
Minister Gallant asserted that Israel's targeted strikes on Hezbollah commanders significantly weakened the group's capacity to threaten Israel. The toll of nearly five months of continuous low-level clashes includes about 200 Hezbollah fighters and 35 civilians killed in Lebanon and 18 deaths in Israel, comprising nine soldiers and nine civilians, according to Irish Examiner.
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Israeli Military Responds to Aerial Threat
The Israeli military reported intercepting a "suspicious aerial target" in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel on Sunday. Subsequently, rockets were fired at various locations, and airstrikes targeted a "terrorist cell" and two "military compounds" on the Lebanese side of the border.
The most recent proposal, put forward by France, suggests a Hezbollah withdrawal of 10 kilometers from the border. However, both Lebanon and Hezbollah have emphasized that no agreement on the border will be made before a Gaza ceasefire.
Minister Gallant, in a video message, expressed a keen interest in assessing Israel's response to heightened Hezbollah activity from the heavily fortified border, affirming that a deal in the south would not ease tensions in the north.
Sunday saw the Israeli military intercept a "suspicious aerial target" in northern Israel's Upper Galilee. Rockets and airstrikes then attacked a "terrorist cell" and two "military compounds" near the Lebanese border.
Since October 7, the toll from hostilities in the north includes 10 Israeli soldiers and six civilians. On the Lebanese side, at least 276 people have been killed, mostly Hezbollah fighters, along with 44 civilians. Around 1,160 people have died in the battle, including the Hamas strikes on October 7. About 130 captives remain in Gaza. In the militant-Israel conflict, Gaza has lost 29,692 people, Barrow reported.
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