Israeli warplanes hit Lebanon as Hezbollah fires more powerful missile

Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes along the Lebanon border on Saturday in response to attacks by the militant Hezbollah group on several Israeli army posts, including one that was hit by two large rockets.

This escalation followed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s statement the previous day, in which he claimed that his powerful group was already involved in unprecedented fighting along the Lebanon-Israel border. Nasrallah threatened further escalation as Israel’s conflict in Gaza with Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, reached nearly one month.

Hezbollah in Lebanon confirmed that it had launched simultaneous attacks on Israeli positions at the Lebanese border on Saturday. Residents in southern Lebanon reported some of the most intense Israeli strikes during weeks of border clashes.

A source familiar with Hezbollah’s actions mentioned that the group had fired a potent missile not previously used in the conflict, which struck an Israeli position across the border from the villages of Ayta al-Shaab and Rmeich.

Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israeli forces across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since its Palestinian ally Hamas went to war with Israel on Oct. 7.

It marks the worst fighting at the frontier since a 2006 war, but has mostly been contained to the border area.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in his first speech since the Hamas-Israel war began, said on Friday escalation on the Lebanese front would depend on events in Gaza and Israeli actions towards Lebanon. He also said the attacks so far at the border “won’t be all” Hezbollah does.

Nearly 60 Hezbollah fighters have been killed in the violence. Security sources and witnesses in Lebanon reported some of the heaviest Israeli strikes yet.

With inputs from Reuters.