Israeli warplanes bomb southern Lebanon amid calls for restraint

As Lebanon wilted under thousands of small blasts through pagers and walkie-talkies this week registering a heavy casualty, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) said it struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon to degrade Hezbollah’s terrorist capabilities and infrastructure.

"With the direction of IDF intelligence, the IAF struck approximately 30 Hezbollah launchers and terrorist infrastructure sites, containing approximately 150 launcher barrels that were ready to fire projectiles toward Israeli territory," it said.

Additionally, the IDF struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure and a weapons storage facility in multiple areas in southern Lebanon.

"For decades, Hezbollah has weaponized civilian homes, dug tunnels beneath them and used civilians as human shields—having turned southern Lebanon into a war zone. The IDF is operating to bring security to northern Israel in order to enable the return of residents to their homes and achieve war goals," it said on the X handle.

Israel’s defense minister earlier said “the center of gravity is moving north,” referring to the country’s border with Lebanon.

The Israeli military continued to strike Hezbollah sites on Thursday, saying it hit approximately 100 rocket launchers.

CNN quoted Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency saying that "Israel carried out at least 52 strikes in the south of Lebanon between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. local time."

The White House meanwhile appealed for an urgent diplomatic solution while Britain called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

The U.S. is "afraid and concerned about potential escalation," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told a briefing, reported Reuters.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah group earlier on Thursday said it launched at least 17 attacks on military sites in northern Israel, according to CNN.   

Earlier, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the pager and walkie-talkie blasts in Lebanon and Syria  crossed “all red lines” vowing to retaliate.

According to Al Jazeera, in his first televised speech since the unprecedented attacks that killed at least 37 people, Nasrallah on Thursday called them a “big blow in terms of security and humanity” but said they have failed to bring the group to its knees.