A day after Hezbollah militants backed by Iran carried out a drone attack on an Israeli base that claimed the lives of four soldiers, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Monday that his country will continue to strike the group ‘without mercy ‘ in Lebanon.
Netanyahu’s remarks came as Israeli aircraft bombarded targets in Lebanon, including a home in the country’s north where, according to Health Ministry officials, at least 21 people perished.
Netanyahu stated, ‘I would like to make it clear: We will continue to strike Hezbollah without mercy everywhere in Lebanon – including Beirut, ‘ before a Hezbollah drone struck the Golani Brigade Training Base on Sunday night.
The attack, one of the bloodiest in Israel since the start of the Gaza war just over a year ago, left more than 60 people injured at the base, which is close to the town of Binyamina in central Israel.
Israel was threatened with more attacks by the Shiite militant group if it continued its offensive in Lebanon.
Netanyahu told troops at the base, ‘We are continuing to fight.We are paying a painful price but we have considerable achievements which we will continue to make, ‘ his office said in a statement.
The prime minister’s direct reference to attacks on Beirut is significant because there had been unsubstantiated reports in Israeli media that Netanyahu had told the forces to refrain from attacking the Lebanese capital at the US government’s insistence.
There were no Israeli airstrikes in Beirut from Friday until Monday night.
Israel hits house in northern Lebanon.
The Lebanese Health Ministry reports that at least 21 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike that struck a home in northern Lebanon.
According to the ministry, eight more people were hurt, and remains are undergoing DNA testing in an effort to identify the casualties.
According to a Lebanese security source, the Israeli strike struck a home in the Aito neighborhood where displaced people from southern Lebanon were taking refuge.
It was the first time Israeli forces had attacked this region.
The impacted region’s lawmaker, Michel Moawad, claimed from the location that a Hezbollah member was the target.
For the past year, Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have exchanged gunfire across the border almost every day.
Two weeks ago, Israeli soldiers started conducting ground raids into Lebanon while the air force struck targets all over the country.
