Lebanese Hezbollah said it had targeted two military positions in northern Israel on Saturday, “in response to enemy attacks” against “civilian homes” in southern Lebanon which left three people dead during the night, including two pro-Iranian party fighters. Hezbollah fighters “carried out a complex attack using explosive drones and guided missiles against the headquarters of the al-Manara military command and a gathering of forces of the 51st battalion of the Golani brigade,” the statement said. Lebanese Islamist movement in a press release.
Multiplication of violence
Since the start of the conflict in Gaza on October 7, Hezbollah, which says it intervenes in support of the terrorist movement Hamas, has exchanged daily fire with Israel on the Lebanese-Israeli border. The number two of the pro-Iranian party, Naïm Qassem, declared for his part that “any extension of Israeli aggression will lead to an extension of the response (…) of Hezbollah”, according to the National Information Agency ( Ani, official). Ani reported “the death of citizen Qasim Asaad” in “raids by Israeli warplanes in Kfar Chouba” during the night.
In two separate statements, Hezbollah announced the death of two of its fighters from Kafr Kila and Khiam in Israeli strikes, without further details. Over the weeks, violence increased, with Israel striking deeper and deeper into Lebanese territory and Hezbollah responding by carrying out more complex attacks against Israeli military positions in the north of the country.
At least 385 people killed in Lebanon
“The ‘Iron Dome’ air defense system successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target crossing Lebanon towards the al-Manara region in northern Israel,” the Israeli army said in a statement. a statement. “Moreover, numerous anti-tank missile shots coming from Lebanon were identified towards the al-Manara region,” added the army, which said it had bombed the place where the shots came from.
In nearly seven months of cross-border violence, at least 385 people, including 254 Hezbollah fighters and 73 civilians, have been killed in Lebanon, according to an AFP count. On the Israeli side, 20 people were killed, according to the army. To try to defuse the cross-border conflict and avoid a large-scale war, French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné, on tour in the Middle East, is due to meet in Beirut on Sunday with key Lebanese officials.