Israel's military is engaged in "offensive action"...

Defense minister Yoav Gallant stated on wednesday that Israeli forces are engaged in "offensive action" throughout southern Lebanon, however he did not say if ground forces have crossed the border. "Many forces are deployed on the border, and IDF (army) forces are currently carrying out offensive action throughout southern lebanon," Gallant said in a statement. He also claimed that "half of Hezbollah's commanders in southern lebanon have been eliminated" amid months of combat. 

Without providing an exact figure, he continued, "The other half are in hiding and are leaving the field to IDF operations." The army claimed to have hit 40 Hezbollah targets in southern lebanon in a different statement. About forty Hezbollah terror targets, including storage facilities and weapons, were targeted by IDF (army) fighter jets and artillery not too long ago near Aita al-Shaab in southern lebanon, according to the statement. 

The Israeli army claimed that Hezbollah "has constructed dozens of terror means and infrastructures in the area" in preparation for an attack on Israel. israel has reportedly carried out more than 13 strikes close to Aita al-Shaab and the neighboring villages, according to the state-run National news Agency of Lebanon. "Israeli warplanes carried out ... more than 13 air strikes hitting the outer limits of the cities of Aita al-Shaab, Ramya, Jabal Balat and Khallet Warda," stated the statement.

Following an attack that was attributed to israel that claimed the lives of two people, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for firing a new round of rockets across the border on Wednesday. The missiles were fired late on tuesday "in response" to the civilian killings by the organization towards northern Israel. The Israeli army and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been exchanging gunfire across their borders ever since Hamas's onslaught on israel on october 7th set off a conflict in Gaza. An AFP count indicates that since october 7, at least 380 people have died in lebanon, primarily Hezbollah combatants but also 72 civilians. On its side of the border, israel reports that eight civilians and eleven troops have died.