# IDF launches ‘Eternal Darkness,’ 100 strikes in 10 minutes, (*) continuing its ethnic cleansing
| Source: Mastodon | Original article
Israel’s military announced a new, high‑tempo air operation dubbed “Eternal Darkness,” in which its air force fired roughly 100 precision strikes within a ten‑minute window across southern Lebanon on Thursday. The barrage, described by the IDF as targeting “terror‑linked infrastructure and weapon depots,” hit sites in the Bekaa Valley, the Tyre district and along the Israeli‑Lebanese border. Israeli officials said the strikes were coordinated with real‑time intelligence and that the operation aimed to degrade Hezbollah’s ability to launch rockets into Israel.
The launch comes amid a sharp escalation in the cross‑border conflict that began after Hezbollah fired a salvo of rockets in response to an Israeli raid on a smuggling tunnel earlier this month. International observers have warned that the intensity of the Israeli campaign risks breaching the proportionality standards of international humanitarian law. Human‑rights groups, citing satellite imagery and eyewitness accounts, have already labeled the operation “ethnic cleansing” of civilian populations in southern Lebanon, a charge Israel rejects as unfounded.
The episode matters because it marks the most concentrated use of force in the theater since the 2023 Gaza war and could trigger a broader regional flare‑up. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has called for an urgent cease‑fire, while the United States and the European Union have urged restraint, warning that further civilian casualties could destabilise the fragile cease‑fire that Iran brokered earlier this year.
What to watch next: Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is expected to brief the cabinet on the operation’s objectives and any planned follow‑up strikes. Hezbollah’s response—whether it will involve a large‑scale rocket barrage or a diplomatic appeal to the UN—will shape the conflict’s trajectory. Parallel diplomatic channels, including back‑channel talks between Tehran and Jerusalem, may also surface as regional powers seek to prevent a wider war.
Sources
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