Israel launches reprisal strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon

Israel launched strikes on more than 10 areas across southern Lebanon, a spokesperson for the army said, hours after Hezbollah launched more than 50 rockets and a swarm of drones, hitting homes in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and wounding one person.
Israeli warplanes struck weapons depots, military buildings and a launcher used by Hezbollah in an overnight operation, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Thursday.
Hezbollah said its attack on Wednesday was in response to an Israeli strike deep into Lebanon on Tuesday night that killed one person and injured 19.
Israel’s response to the Lebanese militant group came hours after US president Joe Biden used a phone call to press Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the urgency of sealing a deal for a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages, according to a White House report.
The call between the leaders, in which Vice-President Kamala Harris also took part, saw Biden stress to Netanyahu “the urgency of bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles,” a White House statement said.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, met mediators from Egypt and Qatar on Tuesday, even as Hamas and Israel poured cold water on any prospect of any imminent pause in the fighting in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement: “Israel will insist on the achievement of all of its objectives for the war, as they have been defined by the security cabinet, including that Gaza never again constitutes a security threat to Israel.”
Denying an Israeli television report, the prime minister’s office said Israel had not agreed to drop its demand to maintain troops in the Philadelphi Corridor, the border between Gaza and Egypt, an issue that has been a major sticking point.
A Hamas statement said its officials, who met the head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad about progress in the talks, reiterated key Hamas demands. These include an end to Israel’s Gaza operation, a full Israeli pullout and a deal to exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Meanwhile in Gaza, Palestinian health officials reported at least 50 Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes over a 24-hour period.
The Israeli military said jets hit around 30 targets throughout the enclave including tunnels, launch sites and an observation post. It said troops killed dozens of armed fighters and seized weapons including explosives, grenades and automatic rifles.
Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 40,000 people in Gaza since October, according to Palestinian health authorities. The war began on 7 October when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israeli communities and military bases, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Reuters contributed to this report