Two individuals lost their lives in an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese town of Aitaroun, as reported by Lebanon's state news agency NNA.
The Israeli military stated that its soldiers had identified a Hezbollah militant in the Aitaroun area, leading to an airstrike by an Israeli aircraft targeting the individual. The strike, involving two missiles, was aimed at a cafe near a petrol station, resulting in significant damage to the establishment and its surroundings.
Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group, responded by launching rockets towards Malkia in northern Israel, followed by a missile attack on a military command center in the same region using the Falaq 2 rockets. According to a security source, this marks the first instance of Hezbollah employing this model of rockets, having previously used the Falaq 1 version. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the airstrike, stating that they had targeted a Hezbollah operative in the Aitaroun area.
Additionally, IDF jets struck infrastructure in the Khiam town area after tanks had earlier fired at a Hezbollah military structure in the Kfarkela region. The escalating conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, running alongside the Gaza war, has raised concerns of a broader confrontation between the heavily armed adversaries.
Hezbollah, aligned with Hamas, asserts that its actions are in solidarity with Palestinians facing Israeli attacks in Gaza. The ongoing hostilities represent the most significant clashes between Hezbollah and Israel since their 2006 conflict, leading to the displacement of tens of thousands of individuals on both sides of the border.