TWO drones suspected to have been launched by Hezbollah militant group from Lebanon struck an Israeli military zone in northern Israel on Sunday, June 14.
The attacks caused no casualties but Israeli ministers have demanded immediate retaliatory strikes on Beirut.
The Israeli military confirmed that the aerial targets crossed the border and exploded in the Western Galilee area.
“Two impacts of suspicious aerial targets in Israeli territory were identified near the Israel-Lebanon border. No injuries were reported,” the military said.
The drone incursions occurred amid regional friction, following Israeli military evacuation orders for over 20 locations in southern Lebanon ahead of planned army raids.
In the wake of the strikes, two far-right ministers of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet demanded retaliatory strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged the prime minister to enforce a destructive military precedent against the Lebanese capital.
“The shooting at northern communities is a test of the Dahiyeh Doctrine that the prime minister declared. I call on him to implement it decisively and firmly, and to bring down buildings in Dahiyeh,” Smotrich wrote on X.
Also, the National Security Minister, Itamar Gvir, called for immediate military escalation on X.
“For every drone — a missile; for every violation — fire; for every UAV — Dahiyeh must tremble,” Ben Gvir wrote.
Israeli officials have previously warned that any sustained targeting of northern Israeli communities by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group would result in strikes on Dahiyeh, a position they said had the backing of Washington.
Zainab Abdulrasaq ia a reporter and a fact-checker with The ICIR. She believes that accountable citizenship starts with an accountable government, which is why she highlights injustice and everyday struggles through her reporting, one story at a time. She adores reading and can be reached via zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org and @blackbookishgirl on Instagram/Medium
