WATCH: Israeli strikes hit 40 targets in southern Lebanon as cross-border fire increases
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The Israeli military said the attacks in the Ayatah al-Shaab area, about 3 km inside the Lebanese border, had hit infrastructure, including storage facilities.
Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel are facing their worst hostilities in nearly two decades since war broke out in Gaza last October.
The Israeli military said artillery and fighter jet strikes hit about 40 targets in southern Lebanon on Wednesday as intense fighting in recent days continued to escalate. Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel are facing their worst hostilities in nearly two decades since war broke out in Gaza last October.
This has raised concerns about the risk of a broader and more destructive conflict between heavily armed enemies. The Israeli military said the strikes in the area of Ayatah al-Shaab, about 3 km inside the Lebanese border, had hit infrastructure, including storage facilities and weapons, extensively used by Hezbollah forces in the area.
“There are continued offensive actions by IDF forces throughout southern Lebanon, as well as in other parts of Lebanon. The operational results are very impressive,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said in a statement after an operational meeting at the army’s Northern Command.
He said half of Hezbollah’s commanders in southern Lebanon had been killed by Israeli forces. A Hezbollah official dismissed the claim as “completely useless” and intended only to boost Israeli morale. He said the group regularly published photographs and biographical details of fighters killed in combat. On Wednesday, the movement held the funeral for Hussein Azkoul, a senior commander who was killed by Israel earlier this week.
Southern Lebanon: 40 Hezbollah terrorist targets were struck a short time ago, including storage facilities, weapons, and additional terrorist infrastructure used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the region. – Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) 24 April 2024
Speaking at the funeral, senior Hezbollah politician Hassan Fadlallah indicated that Azkoul had played a role in developing Hezbollah’s drone and missile capabilities, taking the fight with Israel to “a new phase”. The Israeli strikes came a day after Hezbollah launched a drone attack on Israeli military targets north of the Israeli coastal city of Acre, its deepest attack yet in hostilities that have flared up parallel to the Gaza war.
The attack appears to be one of the most complex attacks announced by Hezbollah in the past six months, using drones designed to engage Israeli air defenses, while other drones loaded with explosives were flown into Israeli targets. Were.
(with agency input)
