Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel will continue strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon “without mercy,” a day after the Iran-backed militants launched a drone attack on an Israeli base that killed four soldiers.
Netanyahu made the comments as Israeli jets pounded positions in Lebanon, including a house in the north of country where Health Ministry officials said at least 21 people died.
“I would like to make it clear: We will continue to strike Hezbollah without mercy everywhere in Lebanon – including Beirut,” said Netanyahu at the Golani Brigade Training Base, which was hit by a Hezbollah drone on Sunday evening.
More than 60 people were wounded at the base, located near the town of Binyamina in central Israel. It was one of the bloodiest attacks in Israel since the beginning of the Gaza war just over a year ago.
The Shiite militant organization threatened Israel with more attacks should the country not stop its offensive in Lebanon.
“We are continuing to fight. We are paying a painful price but we have considerable achievements which we will continue to make,” Netanyahu told troops at the base, according to a statement from his office.
The prime minister’s explicit mention of attacks on Beirut is noteworthy, as there were previously unconfirmed reports from Israeli media that Netanyahu had instructed the forces, at the urging of the US government, to avoid attacks on the Lebanese capital.
From Friday through to Monday evening, there were no Israeli airstrikes in Beirut.
Israel hits house in northern Lebanon
An Israeli airstrike that targeted a house in northern Lebanon killed at least 21 people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Another eight were injured, the ministry said. It added that DNA tests are being carried out on remains to identify them.
The Israeli strike hit a house in the area of Aito where displaced people from southern Lebanon were sheltering, a Lebanese security source said.
It was the first time this area has been hit by Israeli.
Lawmaker Michel Moawad, who is from the affected region, said from the site that a Hezbollah member was targeted.
Israel and Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, have traded cross-border fire on a near daily basis for a year.
Israeli soldiers began ground raids into Lebanon two weeks ago as the air force hits targets across across Lebanon.
Underground Hezbollah compound
Israeli ground troops discovered an underground Hezbollah compound in southern Lebanon, the Israeli armed forces claimed on Monday.
The subterranean facility is said to have served as a command centre for the Lebanese militia’s elite Radwan force, and weapons, ammunition and motorcycles were stored there.
The army released a video showing bedrooms, a kitchen and sanitary facilities in the complex.
The Israeli army said the underground complex was designed so that Radwan troops could arrive, equip themselves and then enter Israeli territory on foot or on motorbikes.
According to the military, the site is located under a civilian area in southern Lebanon.
When the underground site was discovered, the troops encountered a Radwan fighter who had barricaded himself there, according to the army report. The Israeli forces killed him.
