Israel and Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire into Sunday, with Israeli warplanes carrying out the most intense bombardment in almost a year of conflict across Lebanon’s south and Hezbollah firing rockets deep into northern Israel.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said strikes would continue until it was safe for evacuated people in the north to return – setting the stage for a long conflict as Hezbollah has vowed to fight on until a ceasefire in the parallel Gaza war.
“In recent days we have inflicted a series of blows on Hezbollah that it never imagined,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement. “If Hezbollah has not understood the message, I promise you, it will understand the message.”
The conflict – which sharply escalated over the past week – has raged since Hezbollah opened a second front against Israel, saying it was acting in solidarity with Palestinians facing an Israeli offensive further south in Gaza.
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