Hezbollah said on Monday it fought Israeli forces who landed in eastern Lebanon by helicopter across the Syrian border, the second such operation since the outbreak of the latest conflict with Israel.
Heavy fighting broke out overnight in eastern Lebanon after Israeli forces carried out what appeared to be an airborne insertion near the Lebanese-Syrian border, triggering clashes with Hezbollah fighters in one of the most volatile sectors of the escalating Israel-Hezbollah confrontation.
According to Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA), intense battles erupted in the al-Shaara area near the outskirts of Nabi Sheet, a town in the Bekaa Valley widely considered a stronghold of the Iran-backed group.
The clashes began after Israeli forces were reportedly deployed by military helicopters onto mountainous terrain along the eastern border, in an apparent attempt to advance into the area.
Hezbollah Says It Repelled Israeli Landing Attempt
Hezbollah said its fighters confronted the Israeli operation, describing it as a renewed attempt by Israeli forces to insert troops into the region following a similar operation in recent days.
In a statement, the group said it had detected approximately 15 Israeli helicopters approaching from Syrian airspace, flying over several villages along the eastern mountain range, including Janta, Yahfoufa, Nabi Chit, Arsal, and Ras Baalbek.
According to Hezbollah, some of the helicopters landed troops in the Sarghaya plain area, prompting its fighters to engage Israeli forces as they attempted to move deeper into Lebanese territory.
The group said its fighters confronted the infiltrating units and Israeli troops attempting to advance on the ground.
Reports of Israeli Helicopter Downed
A Hezbollah source told AFP that the group’s fighters had shot down an Israeli helicopter in the mountainous area east of Baalbek, though the claim has not been independently confirmed and Israel has not commented publicly on the report.
The Israeli army did not immediately comment on the incident.
Bekaa Region Emerging as New Frontline
The fighting in the Bekaa Valley comes as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continues to widen geographically beyond southern Lebanon.
It is the second such attack after an Israeli commando operation in Nabi Sheet and its surrounding areas overnight Friday, accompanied by heavy airstrikes on the area, in what Israeli media reported was an attempt to locate the remains of Ron Arad, an Israeli air navigator who went missing in Lebanon in 1986.
That operation triggered intense bombardment of the town and surrounding areas, leaving at least 41 people dead, according to Lebanese authorities.
Despite the scale of the operation, reports indicated that Israeli forces failed to locate any remains linked to Arad.
The latest clashes underscore the rapidly intensifying nature of the Israel-Hezbollah confrontation, which has spread from southern Lebanon into eastern border regions while continuing to involve cross-border rocket fire and Israeli airstrikes across Lebanese territory.
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