Israeli Airstrike Hits Southern Village and Kills Hezbollah Commanders

An overnight Israeli airstrike caused significant damage to Civil Defense vehicles in the southern village of Derdghaiya, as captured in a photograph taken by Max Butterworth. Reports from Thursday morning indicate that wreckage and debris was strewn across the emergency center within the village.

Mithil Aggarwal reported that a statement from the Israeli military, issued on Thursday, confirmed the death of Moustafa al-Haj Ali, one of Hezbollah's commanders within the Houla Front, during the strikes. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) held Ali accountable for several hundreds of missile attacks targeting northern Israel.

In addition to Ali, the IDF operation also killed Mohammad Ali Hamdan, a commander for Hezbollah’s anti-tank unit. Furthermore, airstrikes were aimed at ammunition depots located in the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut, as well as weapons storage facilities and other military infrastructure located further south in Lebanon, as confirmed on Wednesday.

News correspondent Chantal Da Silva discloses increasing confusion regarding Israel’s military intentions. Despite initial assertions that the military operation would be a limited one, new divisions have been dispatched to join the ground invasion, troops have been seen raising flags outside border villages, and threats have been directed at Lebanese civilians. These mixed signals have caused growing concern over Israel’s actual objectives.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at the possible destruction the Lebanese could face comparable to what the Gaza Strip has undergone unless they rise against Hezbollah. Commentators perceive this as an ultimatum: face civil war or endure the same plight Palestinians in the bombarded and besieged enclave have suffered. In a video address delivered in English on Tuesday, Netanyahu stated, "You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza... It doesn’t have to be that way.”