Israel claims it targeted Hezbollah facilities after attacks from Lebanon

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army claimed on Thursday that it targeted two military buildings belonging to Hezbollah in two areas in southern Lebanon.

“Fighter jets targeted two military buildings affiliated with the Hezbollah organization in the areas of Aitaroun and Ayta ash Shab,” the army said in a statement.

The statement added: “Over the past few hours, rocket launches have been detected from Lebanon towards Israeli territory in the area of Ras al-Naqoura, Ya'ara, and Upper Galilee areas.”

It said: “The army attacked the sources of fire with artillery shelling.”

Hezbollah has not yet commented on the Israeli statement.

Earlier on Thursday, Hezbollah said its fighters targeted the Al-Zaoura Israeli bunker with rockets after targeting a newly established sector command headquarters in Liman with artillery shells.

It also mentioned that its fighters “targeted the Zebdine Israeli site in the occupied Shebaa Farms.”

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s official news agency reported that Israeli artillery targeted the outskirts of Alma ash Shab town and Naqoura town.

Tension flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.

The border tension comes amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip that killed more than 30,800 people following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 300 people are estimated to have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since the clashes first erupted last October. Nearly 20 Israelis have also been killed, according to Israeli figures.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala