According to Reuters, on Tuesday, January 9, three Hezbollah members were killed in an Israeli attack on a vehicle in Ghandouriyeh, a municipality in the Bint Jbeil District in southern Lebanon.
Reuters mentioned that no information has been communicated about the identities of these three individuals.
On Monday, January 8, Wissam (Jawad) al-Tawil, a senior Hezbollah commander, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon.
Tawil had recently been appointed as a “field commander” for Hezbollah and played a pivotal role in the organization’s operations in southern Lebanon. It is said that he was the commander responsible for a missile attack on the Maroun airbase in northern Israel.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz claimed responsibility for the attack on this senior Hezbollah commander. This action contradicts the usual practice of Tel Aviv authorities, who often remain silent in response to attacks attributed to Israel.
Israeli media reported on January 9 that prior to the start of Tawil’s funeral procession, a vehicle near the residence of this Hezbollah commander was targeted.
Lebanese sources identified Israel as responsible for this attack.
The Times of Israel reported that this attack has resulted in casualties.
In recent days, there has been an escalation of mutual firing between Israel and Hezbollah following an alleged drone attack attributed to Tel Aviv in the Shia-populated suburb of Dahiyeh in Beirut and the killing of Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy head of Hamas.
On January 9, Hezbollah announced that in response to the killings of al-Arouri and Tawil, it targeted an Israeli military base in the city of Safed with a drone.
Reuters reported that this marks the first time since the start of the ongoing Middle East conflict in October that Hezbollah has attacked Safed, located in northern Israel.
Safed is situated 14 kilometers from the Lebanese border.
Haaretz newspaper reported that after a “hostile” target penetrated Israeli airspace in the north, sirens were sounded in the area.
According to the report, this is the seventh time on January 9 that sirens have been heard in northern Israel.
Tensions between Lebanon and Israel are escalating while Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, is visiting the region and has arrived in Israel for meetings with senior officials.
Reuters reported that the Middle East conflict, the reduction of tensions in the region, and the future of the Gaza Strip are among the main topics of Blinken’s discussions in Israel.
Prior to his departure for Israel, the US Secretary of State warned, “The current conflict can easily expand and cause more suffering and insecurity.”
However, recent events show that Iran’s proxies only tone down their aggressions when met with a firm response. So far, the regime has only made bold claims about responding to attacks on its proxies, but its track record shows that it rarely responds when hit hard.
