The Israeli Air Force conducted extensive strikes on the towns of Kafr Kila, Blida, Aita Ashab, and Baraka Al-Jabour in southern Lebanon during the afternoon, announcing it had targeted a Hezbollah airstrip located 20 kilometers from the border. The Hebrew page "Doron Kadush" reported that "after Hezbollah launched drones towards the north, the Israeli army bombed Hezbollah's military airstrip, which was used for launching aircraft."
As news broke of the bombing of the runway, Israeli media highlighted the possibility that Hezbollah might retaliate by targeting one of the airports, with the next likely target being Nahariya Airport. The Israeli media noted that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned weeks ago that any targeting would be met with a similar response.
Israel reiterated its threat today, Thursday, vowing to carry out a strong military strike against Lebanon, while Israeli media confirmed the deployment of a large number of Israeli forces near the Lebanese border. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, during a meeting in Jerusalem with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, stated that the Israeli army would deal a military blow to Lebanon "from which they will not recover" if Hezbollah does not withdraw from the border with northern Israel. The Israeli Foreign Ministry, in a statement, indicated that Katz urged Tajani "to work with the Lebanese government to remove Hezbollah from southern Lebanon," warning of a war that could cause severe harm to Lebanese citizens.
In a related context, Israeli media confirmed the deployment of a significant number of army forces in the western sector of the border with Lebanon after warnings of infiltrating militants. Israeli Channel 13 reported suspicions of three individuals infiltrating from Lebanon in the area of Hanita in the upper Galilee and confirmed a state of alert, while the occupation radio mentioned blocking roads leading to Hanita and preventing residents from leaving their homes.
In contrast, Hezbollah announced it targeted the Israeli military site at Jal al-Alam with rockets, achieving direct hits, just minutes after declaring the targeting of the Israeli radar site in the occupied Shebaa Farms.
