Mourners hold photographs of three Lebanese girls who were killed along with their grandmother in what Lebanese authorities said was an Israeli strike that hit their car on Sunday, as they mourns during their funeral, in the southern town of Blida, Lebanon November 7, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
In response to an Israeli strike that resulted in the tragic deaths of three children and their grandmother in southern Lebanon, a Hezbollah lawmaker announced on Tuesday that the Lebanese militant group would respond with a heightened level of retaliation if Israeli attacks were to target civilians. These statements reflect the ongoing tension along the Israeli-Lebanese border, where violent confrontations between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, a group with Iranian backing, have raised concerns about the potential escalation of a broader regional conflict, particularly as Israel is involved in military operations in the Gaza Strip.
During the funeral service for the four Lebanese individuals who lost their lives in the aforementioned strike, Ali Fayyad, the Hezbollah lawmaker, emphasized the group’s commitment to responding with a more significant retaliatory action in the event of aggression against civilians. He stated that Hezbollah had not yet fully demonstrated the extent of its capabilities, without providing further details.
According to Lebanese authorities, the Israeli strike targeted the vehicle in which the family was traveling on Sunday. Israel’s military, on the other hand, described the incident as an engagement with a vehicle in Lebanon that was suspected of transporting terrorists and indicated that they were investigating reports of civilians being inside the vehicle.
During the funeral, the family mourned over four coffins draped with the flags of Lebanon and a local scouting organization. A banner displayed at the funeral referred to the three girls among the victims, who were aged between 10 and 14, as martyrs and featured the emblem of Hezbollah.
The violence along the Lebanese-Israeli border represents the most significant escalation in the region since 2006. This escalation has occurred in the context of Israel’s military operations against Hamas, a Palestinian group and ally of Hezbollah, in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s actions in response to a Hamas attack on Israeli towns on October 7 have resulted in casualties on both sides. According to Israeli figures, 1,400 Israelis have been killed by Hamas, while health officials in Gaza report that 10,000 Palestinians have lost their lives due to Israeli bombardments.
On Monday, Israel announced that it had conducted strikes against Hezbollah targets in response to a substantial barrage of rockets launched at northern Israeli cities.
The violence along the Lebanese border has reportedly claimed the lives of more than 60 Hezbollah fighters and 10 civilians, according to Lebanese security officials. In Israel, at least seven soldiers and one civilian have lost their lives in the ongoing clashes.
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