Failed attack on Netanyahu
The Israeli army announced on Saturday the death of a Hezbollah militia commander during an operation in southern Lebanon. The deceased was identified as Naser Abdelaziz Rashid, Hezbollah’s deputy commander for the municipality of Bint Jbeil, and described as responsible for promoting and carrying out acts of terror from that zone against Israeli citizens, according to Europa Press.
Lebanese ground forces continued their invasion into southern Lebanon, and authorities reported the discovery of several arsenals, including rocket launchers and anti-tank missiles that appeared ready to be launched toward communities in northern Israel.
Lebanese security sources said there were multiple fatalities in these Israeli strikes, which extended beyond Bint Jbeil to the towns of Zefta, Habbouche and Kfar Joz.
In Jounié, a port city north of Beirut, two people died when the vehicle they were traveling in exploded, a development confirmed by the Lebanese Health Ministry in a statement carried by the official Lebanese agency NNA.
This would mark the first attack in that area since the start of hostilities with Hezbollah on October 8, 2023, hours after the Gaza war began.
At the same time, the Israeli army confirmed the activation of its air defenses after more than fifty rockets were fired from Lebanon in recent hours. The army said that approximately 55 projectiles were launched by Hezbollah toward Haifa and the north of Israel this morning, prompting hundreds of thousands of Israelis to seek shelter in designated areas.
At least two people were injured, one in a serious condition and the other with minor injuries, according to a later statement from the Israel Emergency Medical Services. The two victims are described as men aged 29 and 23, who were receiving medical care.
Attack on Netanyahu
The residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Caesarea was also targeted overnight. The Netanyahu couple were not at home at the time of the attack, according to the prime minister’s office.
Police reported that the aircraft struck the coastal district, while the army said no one was hurt and that two other unmanned aerial vehicles were intercepted.
Earlier in the morning, an air alert was sounded in Tel Aviv, about 55 kilometers to the north, when a drone approached the Glilot district, where the Mossad and another intelligence facility are located.
Refugee camps in Gaza
Across Gaza the north, center and south, Palestinian medical sources reported 30 fatalities in Israeli bombardments in recent hours, notably a strike on Mawasi, which Israel designates as a safe zone for displaced Palestinians.
The Israeli attacks have left at least 13 dead in the camps of Yabalia, Jan Yunis and Rafah. An additional 11 people died in Mawasi, and at least seven were killed in an Israeli strike on the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City in the central part of the enclave.
The latest strike, according to agency sources, targeted a school functioning as housing for displaced residents. In Yabalia, Palestinian sources had reported another 30 fatalities on Friday.
Israel has stated that these operations in the displaced camp eliminated several terrorists in close-quarters encounters and involved targeted airstrikes.
Up to 42,519 dead in Gaza
The total number of people killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli offensive in the enclave, more than a year ago, has reached 42,519, with 99,637 wounded, most of them women and children. The chief of staff of the Israeli Army, Herzl Halevi, said on Friday that his forces have killed around 1,500 Hizballa militiamen since Israel intensified its attacks on Lebanon.
In Lebanon, since October 7, 2023, roughly 2,300 people have died and more than a million have been forced to leave their homes, especially in the south, as a result of the intensity of Israeli bombardments.