Tensions continue to soar between Hezbollah and Israel after the assassination on Tuesday of a senior Hezbollah military commander, Fuad Shakr, in an attack on Beirut. The attack also killed two women and two children.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed that there would be a “definite” response to the Israeli attack, saying the group is looking at a “studied response.” There is no apparent timetable for the retaliation in the message.
Tit-for-tat retaliation has been going on at the Israel-Lebanon border since October, as both sides carry out strikes and responses to strikes nearly every day, bringing both sides to the brink of a major war.
Israel continued its attacks on the southern Lebanon village of Shamaa, just about five kilometers over the Israeli border. An airstrike was carried out Thursday, badly damaging two buildings and killing at least four farm workers from the same family.
Five other civilians were also reported wounded in the Shamaa attack. The four workers slain were identified as Syrians. Officials also said that DNA testing is being carried out and that the death toll could ultimately rise.
As is often the case, Israel’s military made no statement regarding the attack, and gave no indication why they were attacking the farming community in the first place.