An Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon killed 10 people, Lebanese officials said, in one of the deadliest attacks in recent violence on the Lebanon-Israel border.
The building that was attacked, in the city of Nabatieh, was occupied by Syrian refugees, the Minister of Health in Lebanon, Firass Abiad, told the BBC. Israel said he was heading to a Hezbollah weapons storage facility, which the owner of the facility denied.
In response, Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia and Lebanese political party, fired dozens of rockets, targeting a kibbutz in northern Israel and another at an Israeli military base.
No one was killed in the first attack, and two Israeli soldiers were wounded in the second, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
Israel and Hezbollah have traded heated exchanges on a daily basis on the border since the October 7 attack on Israel by Palestinian terrorists prompted an Israeli offensive in Gaza aimed at eliminating Hamas.
Tensions have risen sharply in recent weeks after Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr, in a Hezbollah stronghold south of Beirut. The leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, has vowed to answer for this killing.
It comes as international mediators urged Israel and Hamas to agree on a ceasefire in the upcoming talks, amid fears that the war in Gaza could escalate into a regional conflict.
Iran has rejected calls from Western leaders to stop retaliating against Israel with the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in its capital, Tehran, last month.
But there are indications that Iran may have decided to scale back its response amid efforts to stop the violence in Gaza.
Mr Abiad, however, said Israel’s actions suggested it was not interested in the deal.
He also said that a woman and her two children were among the dead in Nabatieh, and five other people were in critical condition.
Hossain Tohmaz, the owner of one of the hit buildings, said it is “100% civilian area”, where people work and live.
“This is a hangar that is used to produce iron, and that is where we park the trucks that load things like solar panels. The workers live and sleep on the top floor,” he said.
Hours later, Hezbollah said it had fired Katyusha rockets at Ayelet HaShahar, a kibbutz north of the Sea of Galilee.
The IDF said it found 55 in Lebanon, some of which fell in “open areas”.
“Many fires have been lit in the area and the Israel Fire and Rescue Services are currently working at the scene to extinguish them,” he wrote on Telegram.
A short time later, Hezbollah claimed to have attacked an Israeli military base in Marj.
The IDF said that one soldier was seriously injured and another was slightly injured as a result of a bomb blast in Lebanon that fell in Misgav Am, which is near the Israel-Lebanon border.
“The soldiers were taken to the hospital for medical treatment and their families have been informed,” he added.
The strike is one of the deadliest in Lebanon’s ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah.
A few hours later, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for firing Katyusha rockets at Ayelet HaShahar, a kibbutz north of the Sea of Galilee.
The IDF said it found 55 in Lebanon, some of which fell in “open areas”.
“Many fires have been lit in the area and the Israel Fire and Rescue Services are currently working at the scene to extinguish them,” he wrote on Telegram.
Moments later, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for attacking an Israeli military base in Marj with “two bombers”.
The IDF said that one soldier was seriously injured and another was slightly injured as a result of a bomb blast in Lebanon that fell in Misgav Am, which is near the Israel-Lebanon border.
“The soldiers were taken to the hospital for medical treatment and their families have been informed,” he added.
Source link
