Israeli Military Conducts Airstrikes in Lebanon Targeting Hezbollah

The Israeli military has launched a series of airstrikes across Lebanon, targeting what it described as Hezbollah “weapons storage facilities,” CNN reports.

The strikes occurred on Saturday.

According to the Lebanese health ministry, one of the strikes targeted the outskirts of the town of Al-Kawakh in the Baalbek-Hermel governorate, injuring four people, three of whom were children.

Another airstrike hit a location described as “empty shops” in the town of Sareen, also in Baalbek, according to the state-run Lebanese news agency, NNA.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that it had conducted strikes in the Beqaa and Baalbek areas, specifically targeting Hezbollah weapons storage facilities. The IDF stated it had executed strikes in seven other areas of Lebanon, predominantly in the south.

These airstrikes followed a report from the IDF of a barrage of 55 projectiles fired from Lebanese territory into Israel earlier Saturday morning. The projectiles were allegedly aimed at areas in the Upper Galilee and Galilee regions. In a statement, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for shelling the headquarters of an Israeli military brigade in Yiftach Eliklit, located northwest of Lake Tiberias, utilizing “dozens of Katyusha rockets.”

Hezbollah further asserted that it had conducted several attacks on northern Israel throughout the day, utilizing rockets and drones to target Israeli military installations. The group described these actions as support for the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and their ongoing resistance.

Tensions have heightened along the Israel-Lebanon border since the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which was ignited following a devastating attack on October 7, 2023. The recent exchanges of fire have occurred almost daily, raising fears of a broader conflict in the region.