Israel Attacks Hizbullah Posts in Retaliation to Gunfire

After three weeks of ongoing skirmishes near the Gaza border, Israel’s attention was briefly turned to the north Tuesday night as gunfire and airstrikes disturbed the usually peaceful villages of the Galilee and Golan Heights. Near midnight, gunshots were heard near the Lebanese border, causing the military to direct all residents in the area to remain in their homes. After identifying the source of the fire as coming from inside Lebanon and ruling out a kidnap attempt, Israeli helicopters and fighter jets conducted limited strikes against Hizbullah army posts near the border. Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz held a military briefing, after which both men delivered stern warnings to the Lebanese military organization, designated by Israel, the United States and the European Union as a terrorist group. “We will not tolerate any hostilities against our civilians and we will respond forcefully to any acts of aggression,” cautioned Netanyahu, while Gantz threatened that Israel “will not allow [Hizbullah chief Hassan] Nasrallah to hurt our soldiers or our country.”