Lagatar24 Desk
Beirut, Lebanon: An Israeli airstrike killed five Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, as tensions between Hezbollah and Israel continue to escalate. The Lebanese security source confirmed the deaths, noting the strike occurred in the town of Mayfadun, near Nabatiyeh. Hezbollah responded with multiple attacks on northern Israel, including one using explosive drones.
Since the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, Hezbollah has engaged in near-daily exchanges of fire with Israel, in solidarity with its ally Hamas. The conflict has intensified in recent days following the assassinations of Hezbollah’s top military commander Fuad Shukr and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, which Iran and its allies attribute to Israel.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported that the Israeli airstrike targeted a house in Mayfadun, resulting in the deaths of five Hezbollah fighters. The Israeli military confirmed that its air force had struck a Hezbollah military structure in Nabatiyeh, claiming it was being used to plan terrorist attacks against Israel.
In retaliation, Hezbollah launched several attacks on Israel on Tuesday, including an explosive-laden drone attack on a military barracks near the coastal town of Acre. Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service reported that paramedics treated a 30-year-old man in serious condition and a 30-year-old woman in mild to moderate condition with shrapnel injuries, evacuating them to the Galilee Hospital in Nahariya, near Acre.
Hezbollah stated that these latest attacks were in response to an Israeli airstrike on the southern village of Ebba on Monday, which targeted a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is expected to address the situation in a televised speech at 5:00 pm (1400 GMT).
The ongoing cross-border violence since October has resulted in the deaths of at least 555 people in Lebanon, mostly fighters, but also at least 116 civilians, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, including in the annexed Golan Heights, 22 soldiers and 25 civilians have been killed, according to army figures.
