Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel will continue attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon “without mercy,” a day after the Iran-backed militants launched a drone strike on an Israeli base that killed four soldiers.
Netanyahu made the comments as Israeli fighter jets stormed positions in Lebanon, including a house in the north of the country where Health Ministry officials said at least 21 people were killed.
“I would like to make it clear: we will continue to attack Hezbollah without mercy anywhere in Lebanon – including Beirut,” Netanyahu said at the Golani Brigade training base, which was hit by a Hezbollah drone on Sunday evening.
More than 60 people were injured at the base, located near the town of Binyamina in central Israel. It was one of the bloodiest attacks in Israel since the start of the Gaza war just over a year ago.
The Shiite militant organization threatened Israel with more attacks if the country did not halt its offensive in Lebanon.
“We keep fighting. We are paying a painful price, but we have achieved significant successes that we will continue to achieve,” Netanyahu told troops at the base, according to a statement from his office.
The prime minister’s explicit mention of attacks on Beirut is notable as there were previously unconfirmed reports from Israeli media that Netanyahu had instructed the armed forces, at the insistence of the US government, to avoid attacks on the Lebanese capital.
There were no Israeli airstrikes in Beirut from Friday to Monday evening.
Israel hits house in northern Lebanon
At least 21 people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in northern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Another eight were injured, the ministry said. It added that DNA tests are being conducted on the remains to identify them.
The Israeli attack hit a house in the Aito area where displaced people from southern Lebanon were sheltering, a Lebanese security source said.
It was the first time that this area had been hit by Israelis.
Lawmaker Michel Moawad, from the affected region, said from the site that a Hezbollah member had been targeted.
Israel and Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, have exchanged cross-border fire almost daily for a year.
Israeli soldiers began ground attacks on Lebanon two weeks ago, while the air force bombed targets across Lebanon.
