Key Takeaways
- The Hezbollah operational command center was hit by IDF fighter jets, marking a new escalation on the Lebanon border.
- IDF soldiers engaged terrorists near the security fence in the Metula area.
- Qatar mediated a temporary truce and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.
- The ongoing conflict has resulted in **over 20,000 deaths** in Gaza, according to local authorities.
Jerusalem: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had struck an operational command center of the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.
“A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck a Hezbollah operational command center in Lebanon,” the IDF said in a statement on Telegram on Wednesday.
It said IDF servicemen had identified a number of the Lebanese movement’s members approaching the security fence from Lebanon.
“IDF soldiers identified a number of terrorists approaching the security fence from Lebanon along the border in the area of Metula. IDF soldiers fired toward them, hits were identified,” the IDF said.
On October 7, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing **over 1,200 people** and abducting **about 240** others.
Israel responded with retaliatory strikes, imposed a **complete blockade of Gaza**, and began a ground incursion aimed at eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing hostages.
Local authorities report **over 20,000 deaths** in Gaza so far as a result of the conflict.
On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1.
