Israeli air strikes hit an area of southern Lebanon far from the border, following escalating clashes between Israel and Hezbollah. The strikes targeted Najjariyeh and Addousiyeh, villages 30 kilometers from the Israeli border just south of Sidon. Victims were reported without elaboration, with ambulances seen heading to the targeted sites. The strikes hit a pickup truck and an orchard in Najjariyeh.
Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group and Hamas ally, has traded cross-border fire with Israeli forces almost daily. They recently launched “attack drones” on Israeli military positions and attacked an army position in Metula, wounding three soldiers. Two Hezbollah fighters were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, with Hezbollah also launching Katyusha rockets at Israeli positions in the Golan Heights.
Israel retaliated with overnight air raids on Hezbollah stronghold in the Baalbek region. The cross-border fighting has killed at least 415 people in Lebanon, mostly militants, and 80 civilians, while Israel has reported 14 soldiers and 10 civilians killed on its side of the border.