Rockets were fired toward northern Israel from Lebanon on Thursday, with the IDF responding by striking Hezbollah rocket and anti-tank missile launchers in southern Lebanon.
Given that Hezbollah said it would abide by the Israel-Hamas pause in fighting set to start Friday morning, it was unclear if this was a last burst by the terrorist group to “go out strong” or if its commitment to abide by the ceasefire was a ruse.
While the IDF said about 35 rockets were fired toward Israel yesterday morning, it did not update those figures following additional salvos. Hezbollah said that it had launched 48 Katyusha rockets in the morning alone, in an attempt to hit a base near Safed.
Hezbollah additionally claimed that it had conducted 11 attacks, including several anti-tank missile attacks, against a number of IDF positions near the border on Thursday morning.
Earlier, the IDF said it struck an anti-tank missile cell near Zarit and that several projectiles had been fired from Lebanon toward Israel. Later Thursday, Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles that caused damage to some structures in Manarah.
Additionally, overnight a surface-to-air missile was fired at an Israel Air Force aircraft over Lebanon. The missile was intercepted and the IDF responded by striking the launcher and a weapons storage facility.IDF strikes Hezbollah rocket and anti-tank missile launchers with airstrikes and the "Iron Sting" system, November 23, 2023 (IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
On Wednesday night, Hezbollah announced that at least five of its members had been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beit Yahoun in southern Lebanon, including Abbas Raad, the son of senior Hezbollah member MP Mohammad Raad.
The lawmaker welcomed his son’s death, saying “We are steadfast on this path, continuing on this path. Congratulations to the martyr Siraj [Abbas’s nickname] and congratulations to the master of the resistance, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, who taught us how the fathers of the martyrs should be patient, loyal, strong, and steadfast in this resistance jihadist approach.”
On Thursday morning, Hezbollah announced that another member of the terrorist movement had been killed in an Israeli strike, bringing the total number of Hezbollah members announced as killed since October 8 to around 80.
Additionally, Hamas arrested a person who it said was suspected of spying for Israel in the Rashidieh refugee camp, south of Tyre, claiming that the suspect gave Israel information about the Palestinian cell which included the deputy commander of the Lebanese branch of Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades, Khalil al-Kharaz. Al-Kharaz was targeted by an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday, Lebanese media reported on Thursday.
Iran, Hezbollah leaders meet in Lebanon
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Lebanon on Thursday, according to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV.
The two were joined by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Shoushtari and the deputy Iranian ambassador to Beirut and discussed the latest developments in Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Lebanon. They also discussed efforts to stop the war in Gaza and “the existing possibilities regarding the course of events.”