Civilian killed by Hezbollah rocket as Israeli reprisal to Majdal Shams attack looms
Missile strikes kibbutz in Upper Galilee; airlines continue to suspend flights to Beirut amid fears of escalation; IDF strikes 7 Hezbollah sites in 7 areas in Lebanon overnight
An Israeli man was killed in a Hezbollah rocket strike on a kibbutz in northern Israel on Tuesday afternoon, as tensions escalate between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese terror group after its deadly rocket attack on the Golan Heights over the weekend.
Medics declared the death of an Israeli civilian in his 30s who was fatally wounded after a rocket hit Kibbutz HaGoshrim in the Upper Galilee.
He was later named as Nir Popko, 28, from Kibbutz HaGoshrim.
Popko was working outdoors on the kibbutz when the rocket struck 30 meters from where he had been standing, the Kan public broadcaster reported.
The IDF said that 10 rockets were fired from Lebanon in the attack, and most were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had launched dozens of rockets at a nearby military base
The military said it was shelling the launch site with artillery, while earlier, fighter jets struck a Hezbollah site in southern Lebanon’s Jibchit.
Lebanon has been bracing for retaliation from Israel since a Hezbollah rocket attack on Saturday killed 12 children and teenagers at a soccer field. Israel and the US have blamed Hezbollah for the rocket strike, though the group, which admitted launching missiles at the area where the attack occurred, has denied responsibility.
Meanwhile the number of airlines canceling flights to Beirut has continued to rise, with international carriers scrambling to stay away from any escalation in violence across the border.
Greece’s Aegean Airlines and Germany’s Condor canceled flights to Beirut on Tuesday on top of earlier airline announcements. Aegean said it would suspend flights until Thursday, while Condor canceled Tuesday’s flight from Dusseldorf.
Air France and Lufthansa Group carriers Swiss, Eurowings and Lufthansa on Monday announced flight cancellations.
A number of other carriers have suspended, delayed or canceled some flights, although Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport listed arrivals on Tuesday from airlines including Pegasus, Emirates, Royal Jordanian, EgyptAir, Iran Air, Qatar Airways, and Etihad.
With a larger escalation still looming, cross-border violence has continued over the past few days with rocket and drone attacks on northern communities and Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets.
החל משעות הערב, צה"ל תקף באמצעות כלי טיס, מטוסי קרב וארטילריה כ-10 מטרות טרור של חיזבאללה בשבעה מרחבים שונים בדרום לבנון.
בתקיפות שבוצעו, מהאוויר ומהקרקע, חוסל מחבל חיזבאללה במרחב בית ליף, והושמדו מחסן אמל״ח, תשתיות טרור, מבנים צבאיים ומשגר ששימש את חיזבאללה בדרום לבנון pic.twitter.com/cov7pBe29K
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 30, 2024
The IDF said Tuesday that it had carried out a series of strikes in southern Lebanon overnight, although the attacks were a far cry from the expected reprisal. The military said it attacked with drones, fighter jets, and artillery in seven areas across the border.
The military said the strikes killed a Hezbollah terrorist in the Beit Lif area and destroyed what it said was an arms depot, terror infrastructure, military bases, and launchers used by Hezbollah.
The international community has urged both sides to act with restraint following Saturday’s deadly attack. The United States is leading a diplomatic dash to deter Israel from striking Lebanon’s capital Beirut or major civil infrastructure, five people with knowledge of the drive said Monday.
Israeli officials have said that their country wants to hurt Hezbollah but not drag the region into all-out war.
“While we’ve seen a lot of activity on Israel’s northern border, we remain concerned about the potential of this escalating into a full-blown fight. And I don’t believe that a fight is inevitable,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday.
“We’d like to see things resolved in a diplomatic fashion,” he added during a joint press conference in Manila, following security talks between himself, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and their respective Philippine counterparts.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday called on Israel not to fall into the “trap” of retaliation, saying she was “very, very worried” by the situation in Lebanon and by the risk of a regional escalation.
Speaking during an official visit to China, Meloni said the international community should continue sending messages of moderation, and that China could help in these efforts, having “solid ties” with Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
So far, the skirmishes have resulted in 25 civilian deaths on the Israeli side — including in Tuesday’s attack — as well as the deaths of 18 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 384 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 68 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed.
