Ensure Israel's Military Action Continues, Defense Minister Gallant: There Are Significant Opportunities And Risks

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant when he met Israeli troops. (Source: Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

JAKARTA - Israeli warplanes on Thursday night launched their most intense attack on southern Lebanon in nearly a year of war, which escalated the conflict between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ensured his military action continued amid calls for restraint.

In Thursday night's operation, the Israeli military said its fighter jets for more than two hours attacked hundreds of barrels of double rocket launchers in southern Lebanon that would soon be fired at Israel.

The bombing included more than 52 attacks in southern Lebanon after 9 p.m., the Lebanese state news agency NNA said.

Three Lebanese security sources say this is the toughest airstrike since the conflict began in October. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Israeli military vowed to continue attacking Hezbollah and said its attacks throughout Thursday hit about 100 rocket launchers plus other targets in southern Lebanon.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Thursday evening Israel would continue to carry out military action against Hezbollah.

"In this new phase of war, there are significant opportunities but also significant risks. Hezbollah feels that they are being persecuted and a series of military actions will continue," Defense Minister Gallant said in a statement.

"Our goal is to ensure the safe return of Israeli society in the north to their homes. Over time, Hezbollah will pay an increasingly expensive price," explained Defense Minister Gallant.

The intense attack follows an attack earlier this week attributed to Lebanon and Hezbollah with Israel that blew up Hezbollah's radio and pager, killing 37 people and injuring about 3,000 people in Lebanon.

Israel has not directly commented on the pager and radio explosion, which security sources say may have been carried out by the Mossad spy agency, which has a long history of carrying out sophisticated attacks on foreign soil.

Israel says its conflict with Hezbollah, such as its war in Gaza against Hamas, is part of a broader regional confrontation with Iran, which sponsors the two groups as well as armed movements in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.

Separately, the White House said diplomatic solutions could be reached and urgently, and Britain called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The US is "worry and concerned about the potential escalation," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told a briefing.

Meanwhile, the 15-member Security Council will meet on Friday to discuss a series of two-day explosions in Lebanon.

Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel the day after a cross-border attack on October 7 by a Palestinian militant group led by Hamas and sparked a Gaza war.

Since then, gunfights have continued. While no party has allowed this to escalate to a full-scale war, it has led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from border areas on both sides.