Israel's UN ambassador said on Sunday that Lebanese militant group Hezbollah had fired more than 8,000 rockets at Israel.
“Last night, hundreds of thousands of Israelis slept in bomb shelters as Hezbollah, the terrorist organization holding Lebanon captive, opened fire on Israelis,” Danny Danon said in a speech at the United Nations. Meetings“Since October 8, more than 8,000 rockets have been fired at our people, forcing over 70,000 people to flee their homes and become refugees in their own country.”
Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire in recent days, with Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah in Beirut killing more than 30 people, a Lebanese health official said on Saturday.
Health Minister Firas Abyad told a news conference that 31 people were killed in the attack, including seven women and three children. At least 68 people were wounded, 15 of whom were still recovering in hospital, he said.
The attack, which took place on Friday, killed Hezbollah's head of operations and the commander of its elite special forces, the Radwan Unit, according to the Israeli military. The IDF said another senior commander of the Radwan Unit was also killed.
Friday's Israeli strikes came after Hezbollah fired about 140 rockets at Israel, most of which were shot down by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system, the Israeli military said.
“Let me be very clear: we are a peaceful nation. We do not seek and do not desire war,” Danon told the U.N. meeting, “but we will not sit idly by while our people are attacked.”
The Hill reached out to the Lebanese Ministry of Information.
