Hezbollah was reeling from an Israeli airstrike that killed two senior figures and dozens of others, raising fears of all-out conflict in the Middle East. The strike followed the detonation of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members across Lebanon, escalating tensions. Israel also carried out a strike in Gaza targeting Hamas militants, leading to civilian casualties. Authorities worldwide probed the origin of the exploding devices, with Hungary’s intelligence services interviewing a firm linked to the pagers.
Hezbollah confirmed the deaths of two senior figures in the strike, along with 19 other fighters, bringing the total number of Hezbollah fighters killed to 499 since October. Israel claimed to have killed at least 16 Hezbollah fighters in the strike. Tensions rose as Hezbollah fired artillery shells and rockets into northern Israel, while the Israeli army targeted Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon.
In Tehran, Iran displayed its arsenal at a military parade, denouncing Israel’s actions and warning of the region being on the brink of war. A senior officer in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps raised the possibility of widening conflict, suggesting that Israel’s actions could extend to Iraq, Syria, or even Iran. The United States had offered a reward for information on one of the senior Hezbollah figures killed in the airstrike, linking him to past terrorist activities. The situation remains volatile, with calls for diplomacy and concerns over escalating violence in the region.
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