Since the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah decided to launch an attack on Israel on October 8 as a response to Tel Aviv’s offensive in Gaza, it became evident that the conflict in the region would extend beyond just the Gaza Strip. The Hamas attack the day before, which resulted in over 1,100 casualties and 240 people being kidnapped, triggered a series of Israeli airstrikes that have led to the occupation of Palestinian territory, the loss of nearly 30,000 lives, and 67,000 injuries. This has created an ongoing cycle of violence in the region, further exacerbated by the escalating cross attacks between Israel and Hezbollah.

On Wednesday, a projectile attack from southern Lebanon targeted the Israeli city of Safed in the north, resulting in the death of one person and injury to seven others. In response, Israel launched a widespread bombing campaign in various parts of Lebanese territory, resulting in the death of a Hezbollah fighter and at least four other casualties. The intensification of attacks has prompted the more hawkish members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to openly call for a declaration of war.

According to the Israeli Army, the projectiles fired from Lebanon were aimed at the Northern Command base in Safed. “Numerous launches from Lebanon were detected in areas such as Netua, Manara, and an Army base in the northern part of the country,” stated a military spokesperson. “The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have targeted the sources of the attacks,” they added before reports of nearly twenty airstrikes in southern Lebanon started to emerge. The IDF is reportedly preparing a “significant response,” although details are yet to be disclosed.

Safed, the Israeli town targeted in the attack, is located approximately thirteen kilometers from the Lebanese border. Air raid sirens rang across Safed and other northern Israeli cities multiple times on Wednesday morning. Israeli media has described this attack as one of the largest carried out by Hezbollah since the conflict began. This incident occurred one day after two Israelis were wounded in another shell attack in the town of Kiryat Shmona, also near the border.

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah (supported by Iran) have been escalating since the attack in early January, blamed on the Israeli Army, which resulted in the death of the second-in-command of Hamas, Sale al Aruri, along with six other members of the organization, including two senior officials of the Ezzeldin al-Qassam Brigades.

With the increase in attacks, both the Israeli government and opposition have adopted a more aggressive stance. Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, declared that the attack represents a declaration of war and called for a shift in the authorities’ approach to the situation on the Lebanese border. Ben Gvir, leader of the far-right party, stated, “It’s not just rocket fire; it’s war. It’s time to abandon the ‘concept’ in the north.” Yuli Edelstein, head of the Israeli Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and a member of Likud, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that Hezbollah must be pushed away from the border. Avigdor Lieberman, from the nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, criticized the decisions made by the war cabinet, stating, “The red line has turned into a white flag.” He emphasized the need for action to create a security zone within Lebanese territory, not Israeli territory.