Jerusalem/Washington, Aug 5 (EFE).- As regional tensions escalate, Hezbollah launched a barrage of drones targeting Israel on Monday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warning of an imminent attack by Iran and its backed Shiite militia, urging immediate diplomatic action.
Blinken alerted his G7 counterparts on Sunday about a potential attack by Iran and Hezbollah on Israel within the next 24 hours from Monday, according to sources cited by Axios.
The media outlet reported that Blinken’s teleconference aimed to coordinate with close US allies and apply last-minute diplomatic pressure on Iran and Hezbollah to minimize their retaliation. He believes that limiting the impact of these attacks is crucial to avoiding a full-scale war in the region.
Iran and its ally Hezbollah have vowed to respond to the assassinations of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard in Tehran, as well as Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut, both acknowledged by the Israeli government.
Unlike the Iranian attack on Israel on April 13, where Iran launched nearly 350 drones and missiles that Israel and its allies intercepted, Blinken noted that the nature of the forthcoming retaliation is unclear.
He stressed that the US is striving to break the cycle of escalation by limiting Iranian and Hezbollah attacks and curbing the Israeli response. Blinken also called on G7 foreign ministers to exert diplomatic pressure on all parties to maintain maximum restraint.
Israel Intercepts Hezbollah Drones
Israeli air defense systems intercepted several drones launched by the Shiite Hezbollah militia from Lebanon on Monday. Two drones fell near Ayelet HaShahar and Malkia, close to the border, according to the Israeli Army.
An officer and a soldier were slightly injured by the impact at Ayelet HaShahar and were evacuated to a hospital. Firefighting teams extinguished a fire caused by the incident.
At 7.32 am local time, sirens sounded in western Galilee due to another drone entering Israeli territory, which was intercepted by the armed forces. Debris from the interception fell near Malkia, causing sirens to activate.
During the night, Israeli forces attacked a Hezbollah warehouse in Kfar Kila and fired artillery at areas in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the drone launches, stating they targeted the newly established headquarters of Israel’s 91st Army Division in Ayelet.
Hezbollah launched the attack in response to Israeli bombings in Bazouriye and Deir Seryan, which killed two Hezbollah fighters. The Islamist group reported additional casualties from Israeli attacks near Beirut and further north.
Since October, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire along the border, escalating tensions to their highest level since 2006. This conflict now threatens to expand into a multi-front war involving Iran after recent Israeli actions in Beirut and Tehran.
The cross-border conflict has resulted in at least 586 deaths, primarily on the Lebanese side, with Hezbollah confirming 359 casualties. In Israel, 47 people have been killed in the north, including 22 military personnel and 25 civilians. EFE
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