Drone squadrons and rocket barrages — simultaneous Hezbollah attacks on 9 Israeli positions: Day 251 of the Gaza war

Thank you for following our life coverage of the Gaza war and its global and regional impacts. Be sure to come back tomorrow for more of the latest updates.

Goodnight!

Hezbollah has again reported on two new attacks:

It targeted an Israeli military base in the Natu'a forest (south of Aita el-Shaab, Bint Jbeil district) with rockets.

It has also targeted another group of soldiers at Har Adir (south of Rmeish, Bint Jbeil district).

These attacks culminate to two full days of increasing tensions along the border following the death of Hezbollah's senior commander Taleb Abdallah. To read more:

On the map: Hezbollah's response to Israel's assassination of Taleb Abdallah

On the map: Hezbollah's response to Israel's assassination of Taleb Abdallah

France has announced emergency budgetary aid in the form of an €8 million donation to the Palestinian Authority, which is in the grip of a financial crisis that is worrying Western chancelleries.

“At a time when all Palestinians (are) affected by the crisis, this budgetary support will help pay the salaries of the Palestinian Authority, in particular the Ministry of Health,” says a statement from the French Consulate General in Jerusalem.

Latest update on the situation on the border between southern Lebanon and northern Israel:

- Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for two attacks: the first at 7.30 p.m. on a group of Israeli soldiers in the Dovev woods, south of Yaroun (Bint Jbeil district) with rockets; and the second at 8 p.m. on another group of soldiers this time near Ramtha and Samaka, in the disputed Kfarchouba hills (Hasbaya district).

The Lebanese Ministry of Health has published its latest assessment of the war in southern Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel, covering the period from Oct. 8, 2023, to June 11, 2024.

It counts 1,686 victims, 414 killed and 410 wounded who had to be hospitalized.

Read more: 

Official death toll stands at 414 since October 8

Official death toll stands at 414 since October 8

Infographic shared by Hezbollah

Hezbollah has released a list of the “military operations” it has launched against Israel between Oct. 8, 2023 and June 13, 2024 at 2 p.m. 

It has recorded 2125 strikes in 250 days.

- Hezbollah announced that its fighters had “targeted a deployment of enemy soldiers in the Yaroun valley (opposite Yaroun in the Bint Jbeil district) with guided missiles”. It claims to have “caused one death and one injury”.

- Hezbollah said it had targeted an Israeli Humvee military vehicle in the center of the Israeli town of al-Nabi Yusha at 5.30 p.m., destroying it and causing casualties.

- Hezbollah said it had targeted the Roueissat Al-Qarn site in the disputed Shebaa Farms with missiles at 5.50 p.m.

Latest developments in southern Lebanon:

- Hezbollah announced that it had targeted the Ramtha site in the occupied Katsavia Hills at 4 p.m. “with suitable weapons.”

- Hezbollah also said it had launched “an air attack with a squadron of assault drones on the Mishar base, targeting the intelligence centers inside.” It also said it had simultaneously launched another air attack with a squadron of assault drones on the Katsavia barracks.

- Israeli army aircraft bombed the area between Aishieh and Mahmoudieh (Jezzine district), around 15 km from the border, according to a security source. 

A merchant ship caught fire after being attacked off the coast of Yemen, the UK Maritime Safety Agency UKMTO said on Thursday, the day after another attack damaged a ship sailing in the same area.

The vessel was hit by “two projectiles, which caused a fire on board”, UKMTO said.

According to security firm Ambrey, the ship was hit by a missile in the Gulf of Aden, off southern Yemen.

“Merchant vessels are advised to keep clear of the hit vessel and to halt crew movements on deck,” said Ambrey, adding that the vessel “fit the profile (usually targeted) by the Houthis”.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called on members of the UN Security Council, particularly the United States, to put pressure on Israel to secure a cease-fire in Gaza, after the Council backed a U.S. proposal earlier this week.

Speaking in Madrid alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Erdogan said Ankara welcomed any ceasefire proposal that would end the war in Gaza, adding that Washington's stance on Israel's operations was “really disturbing” for Turkey.

Footage circulating on social media shows Israeli forces launching fireballs into southern Lebanon using a trebuchet.

Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, claimed that the soldiers were "aiming to burn trees and plants used by Hezbollah to conceal infrastructure and troop activity along Israel's border." The source also claimed that the use of the trebuchet was approved by the Israeli army.

Following today’s meeting, Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc considered that Hamas is in the “best position” to assess the cease-fire proposal put forward by the United States, and the advantages they would derive from it.

“They know that the U.S. administration deceives no one about its ongoing support for the Zionist enemy and sponsorship of its terrorism and crimes in Gaza, Lebanon and throughout our Arab and Islamic region,” the bloc further declared in a statement relayed by Hezbollah.

In a response sent to US officials this week, Hamas called for certain changes to Washington's proposal that it considered “insignificant.” The U.S. administration, for its part, considered that “some changes” demanded by Hamas were “feasible, others not.”

Hezbollah’s latest attacks:

- Hezbollah targeted using drones and Katyusha and Al-Falaq missiles “six” Israeli barracks and military sites: al-Zaoura barracks, Kaila barracks, Yoav barracks, Katsavia base, Nafah base, and the Sahel battalion in Beit Halel, the party claimed in a statement.

- Simultaneously, using several squadrons of assault drones, Hezbollah’s air force fighters successfully attacked three Israeli military bases: the Dadou Base (headquarters of the northern region command), Mishar base (headquarters of the main intelligence unit of the northern region charged with assassination missions) and the Katsavia Barracks (the headquarters of the seventh Armored Brigade of the 210th Golan Division).

- A Hezbollah source told Al Jazeera that around 30 drones and 150 rockets were fired at northern Israel, in response to Tuesday’s killing of a senior Hezbollah commander. The attack is Hezbollah’s biggest since Oct. 8, the source said.

According to the source, Hezbollah struck over 10 military targets on Israel's northern border today, including intelligence targets related to the assassinations of its officials.

Here are the latest updates on the situation in southern Lebanon:

- Using incendiary bombs, Israel shelled areas of al-Ghaba and the intersection of Naqa'a and Karhaboun in the town of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil district), local eyewitnesses told our correspondent.

- Israeli military aircraft flew at low altitudes over several villages in southern Lebanon following rockets fired from Lebanon.

- Firefighters in the Islamic Risala Scouts, affiliated with the Amal Movement, contained a fire in Haris (Bint Jbeil), sparked earlier by an Israeli strike.

- Israeli warplanes attacked Deir Saryan (Marjayoun District) with three missiles, locals told our correspondent.

- Using phosphorus bombs, Israel shelled the towns of Yahmar (Nabatieh district), Deir Siriane (Marjayoun district) and the outskirts of al-Taybeh (Marjayoun district), according to locals.

- Israel shelled the outskirts of Halta (Hasbaya district) and the Shebaa farms, hitting a house in the area, without causing any casualties.

The United States is very concerned that hostilities on the Israeli-Lebanese border could escalate into a full-blown war, said a senior U.S. official cited by Reuters. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that specific security arrangements are needed for the region and that a ceasefire in Gaza is not enough.

“We have had constant and urgent conversations at various times with Israel and Lebanon over the past eight months to prevent it from escalating into an all-out war that could have implications elsewhere in the region,” the official said, “Returning to the status quo of October 6 in Lebanon is not an acceptable or viable option.”

A fire on the outskirts of Marjayoun following an Israeli airstrike on the area. (Photo courtesy of L'Orient Today's correspondent in southern Lebanon, Muntasser Abdallah)

The situation in southern Lebanon since the morning:

-⁠ ⁠Israel shelled the outskirts of Wazzani and Shebaa (Hasbaya) around noon, local eyewitnesses told L'Orient Today's correspondent.

-⁠ ⁠Rockets and drones were fired from South Lebanon toward the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, a security source told L'Orient Today's correspondent, without specifying which group fired them. According to Haaretz, rocket sirens were heard in different areas of the north of Israel, notably in Safed and in the disputed Golan Heights.

- ⁠According to a security source and local eyewitnesses, Israeli jets launched a series of strikes in several areas in southern Lebanon, including Hariss (Bint Jbeil), the outskirts between Kantara and Wadi al-Hujair (Marjayoun), Horsh Barakat, on the outskirts of Marjayoun. Near Marjayoun, the strikes triggered fires, burning pine trees. The area of Jabal Rihan (Jezzine) was also targeted by airstrikes.

The Iraqi foreign minister warned against the "danger" of an expansion of the conflict in southern Lebanon during a meeting in Baghdad with his Iranian counterpart who also reiterated the refusal to see the war in Gaza inflame the whole Middle East.

Meeting the acting Iranian foreign minister, Ali Bagheri, on Thursday, the Iraqi diplomat, Fouad Hussein, assured that their discussions focused on the "dangerous signals" posing the threat of "a possible attack on southern Lebanon, and the expansion of the war in Lebanon.

“If southern Lebanon is attacked, it will affect the entire region. The expansion of the war is a danger, not only for Lebanon but for the entire region,” warned Hussein during a press briefing.

Gaza’s health ministry announced an updated death toll of at least 37,232 people with another 85,037 wounded.

The ministry added that 30 people were killed in the last 24 hours.

While warning sirens have sounded several times since this morning in northern Israel, Hezbollah claimed its first operation of the day, against the Israeli site of "Rahab," located opposite Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil). The party fighters targeted this position using “automatic weapons and artillery shells” at 8 a.m., according to a statement.

“The State of Israel today, with the reserve and regular troops worn to the bone, is not really fit to start another long war in the north,” newly elected Labor Party Leader Yair Golan said, according to Israeli media sources.

Israeli citizens who have completed their compulsory military service are assigned to the army’s reserve force to provide reinforcements when called upon. The government has proposed changing military and reserve laws several times, extending the length of regular service as well as increasing the number of conscripts, amid rumors of a shortage of soldiers.

In contrast to Golan, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right ministers in Israel’s government, recently called to expand the war in Gaza and invade southern Lebanon.

“As of June 9, over 330,000 tons of waste have accumulated in or near populated areas across #Gaza, posing catastrophic environmental & health risks,” the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees in the region (UNRWA) said in a post made on X. “Children rummage through trash daily.”

UNRWA continued, “Unimpeded humanitarian access + #CeasefireNow are crucial to restore humane living conditions.”

The Israeli army, for its part, said that it " attacked terrorist infrastructures and buildings used for military purposes in southern Lebanon" during the night, according to a statement reported by Haaretz, without further details on the targeted localities. According to the Israeli media, alarm sirens have sounded several times in the north of Israel due to “potential air infiltrations.” No strike on northern Israel has so far been claimed. 

The al-Rissala Scouts Civil Defense also said it took part in several rescue operations during the night. The volunteers announced that they had extinguished a fire started by a strike on Markaba (Marjayoun) and another fire started by white phosphorus strikes in Azzieh (Sour). At 11 p.m., the Scouts said they took part in rescue operations after an earlier strike on Yater (Bint Jbeil) and transported injured people to hospital.

After midnight, two strikes by Israeli drones hit a home in Ainata (Bint Jbeil) as well as in an area between Aitaroun and Bint Jbeil. A civilian was injured in Ainata and transported to the hospital by volunteers from the al-Rissala Scouts (of the Amal movement).

In southern Lebanon, where yesterday was marked by the death of a Hezbollah commander and a series of response strikes launched by the party:

- Israeli army planes flew over several regions of the south at 8 a.m. as far as the city of Saida, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the region. These planes broke the sound barrier during their passage over the districts of Nabatieh and Marjayoun, as well as over the regions of Jabal al-Rihan (Jezzine) and Iqlim al Tuffah (Nabatieh).

- Israeli drones have also been spotted above certain villages north of the Litani.

Regarding the cease-fire proposal presented by the United States, a senior Hamas official told Reuters that the changes requested by the group are "insignificant" and include the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas official added that the organization demanded selecting a list of 100 Palestinians sentenced to long sentences who would be released from Israeli prisons, lifting the Israeli blockade on Gaza and allowing the free movement of people and goods in the enclave, as well as three “interconnected and continuous phases” of a cease-fire.

In the Red Sea, Yemen's Houthi rebels last night claimed responsibility for an attack in the Red Sea against a Greek-owned commercial ship, which "caused severe flooding" and damage onboard according to the US military.

In a statement, the Houthis said they carried out a “military operation targeting the Tutor ship in the Red Sea, using a maritime drone, aerial drones and ballistic missiles.” Earlier, security company Ambrey and Britain's maritime safety agency UKMTO said a merchant ship issued a distress call on Wednesday after being hit in the Red Sea off Yemen.

The UN is concerned about the risk of famine in Gaza, where at least 1.7 million Palestinians, out of an estimated 2.4 million inhabitants, have been repeatedly displaced by war. More than 8,000 children under the age of five were treated in Gaza for acute malnutrition, "including 1,600 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition" and 28 died, the World Health Organization revealed.

In Geneva, a UN commission of inquiry found that Israel was responsible for "crimes against humanity," in particular for "extermination," in the Palestinian territory. It also accused Israeli authorities and seven Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas, of war crimes.

According to a source close to the discussions, Hamas's response contains "amendments" to the plan announced by Joe Biden, "notably a timetable for a permanent cease-fire and the total withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza."

The US secretary of state "continues to talk about Israel's agreement to the latest [ceasefire] proposal, but we have not heard from any Israeli officials on this subject," Hamas said in a statement. “In this context, we call on Blinken and the Biden government to put direct pressure” on Israel, the movement added.

The content of Hamas's response was not revealed, but Blinken said in Doha that "some changes" demanded by Hamas were "feasible, others were not." “I think this gap can be bridged,” he added.

Blinken also affirmed that the United States would present "in the coming weeks the key elements" for the post-war period, "including concrete ideas on how to manage governance, security and reconstruction" to Gaza.

On Tuesday, Hamas announced that it had given Qatar and Egypt its response to the cease-fire plan announced on May 31 by U.S. President Joe Biden. This plan provides, in the first phase, a six-week cease-fire accompanied by an Israeli withdrawal from densely populated areas of Gaza, the release of certain hostages held in Gaza since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 against Israel, and the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Concluding in Doha a tour of four countries in the region, including Israel, Blinken affirmed that his country would work with the other mediator countries – Qatar and Egypt – in order to reach a cease-fire agreement. “The longer this [war] lasts, the more people will suffer, and it is time to stop the bargaining,” he said. 

The Israeli army is shelling the south of the Gaza Strip this morning after a regional tour by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken who is seeking to secure a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

An AFP team reported in the early hours of intense artillery fire and strikes by Israeli helicopters in Rafah, at the southern tip of the territory, near the border with Egypt.

Be sure to read the Morning Brief so you are caught up with what has been happening.

Morning Brief

Record-breaking number of Hezbollah attacks and push for a Gaza cease-fire: Everything you need to know to start your Thursday

Good morning!

Thank you for joining us for our coverage of the ongoing war in Gaza and its regional and global impacts.