BAALBEK: Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets on Monday at an Israeli military base, the Lebanese group said after Israel’s first strikes on Lebanon’s eastern region in months of hostilities linked to the Gaza war.
Two Hezbollah members were reportedly killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting the eastern Baalbek area, AFP reported, citing Lebanese security officials and a source close to the group.
Hezbollah, in a statement, declared the rocket attack on an Israeli-occupied Golan Heights army base as a response to “Zionist aggression” near Baalbek, deploying 60 Katyusha rockets in the assault. “In response to the Zionist aggression near the city of Baalbek,” fighters targeted an army base in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights “with 60 Katyusha rockets”, Hezbollah said in a statement.
The Israeli army confirmed the rocket barrage, stating that “dozens of rockets” were launched from Lebanon, though there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Earlier, Israeli airstrikes near Baalbek targeted Hezbollah air defense systems, allegedly in retaliation for the group downing an Israeli drone in south Lebanon earlier that day.
Reports indicate that the strikes hit a Hezbollah building in a Baalbek suburb and a warehouse belonging to the group, with two Hezbollah fighters confirmed dead as a result.
Hezbollah retaliated with further attacks on Israeli sites and troops, while local media reported additional Israeli strikes on villages in south Lebanon.
Cross-Border Fire Exchange Between Hezbollah and Israel
The cross-border exchange of fire marks a significant escalation in tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, with hostilities intensifying since the outbreak of war between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, a Hezbollah ally, on October 7.
Addressing the situation, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah vowed that Zionist encroachment would only strengthen the group’s resolve, underscoring Hezbollah’s determination to defend its territory.
The ongoing clashes have resulted in significant casualties on both sides, with at least 281 people killed in Lebanon, including civilians, and 10 soldiers and six civilians killed in Israel since October.
Since October 8, Hezbollah and Israel have engaged in near-daily exchanges of fire, primarily along the border, although Israel has occasionally targeted other areas in Lebanon, including Beirut.
In January, an Israeli strike targeted Hamas’s deputy leader, Saleh al-Aruri, and six others in Hezbollah’s stronghold in south Beirut.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israeli action against Hezbollah would continue unabated, regardless of any ceasefire or hostage deal in Gaza.
Last week, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah pledged that Israel would pay “with blood”, after ten civilians, including seven members of one family, were killed in Lebanon’s largest single-day death toll so far.
