Tensions in southern Lebanon continued to escalate as Israeli airstrikes persist deep within Lebanese territory. Earlier, Israeli airstrikes targeted the towns of Chaaitiyeh and Qlaileh, which are located farther from the Lebanese border. Additionally, Israeli artillery shelling was reported on the outskirts of Dhayra, Yarine and Al-Bustan.
The Israeli army also announced earlier that it carried out three airstrikes on October 28 deep inside Lebanese territory in the distant area of Mount Safi, which is 25 km away from the southern border.
Hamas declared that it “launched 16 rockets from Lebanon targeting the Nahariya settlement in northern Israel.” Al-Fajr Forces, associated with the “Islamic Group,” claimed responsibility for the rocket shelling which hit a building in the Kiryat Shmona settlement, igniting a fire.
Furthermore, Hezbollah announced that it successfully downed an Israeli drone using a surface-to-air missile along the Lebanese southern border. This follows Hezbollah’s previous claims that Israeli drones, which constantly fly over Lebanon, have resulted in multiple casualties on their part.
Two individuals were injured when Israel targeted a number of motorcycles with a drone in Meiss El Jabal. In a separate incident, Israel shelled forests near the Blue Line with incendiary shells, injuring a UNIFIL captain in Houla near the Abbas site.
Hezbollah also reported targeting an Israeli infantry force near Al-Malkiyya. Israeli media stated that alarm sirens were activated after the launch of three rockets from Lebanon towards the Upper Galilee, with the Iron Dome intercepting some of the rockets in the Naqoura area.
The recent explosion of an Israeli anti-aircraft missile over the east of the city of Tyre comes after the Israeli army announced that it had thwarted a ground-to-air missile launch from Lebanon at one of its drones, allegedly belonging to Hezbollah.
For the first time, Israeli aircraft conducted airstrikes in that area, as Israeli shelling remained within a 7-kilometer range at the farthest point into Lebanese territory for 21 days.
However, the location of the launch site of the air defense missiles and the site where they were intercepted have not been clarified. There have also been no reports of an anti-aircraft missile exploding 20 kilometers inside Lebanese territory until now, as happened in the east of the city of Tyre.
Hezbollah has not issued any statement regarding this targeting and remains secretive about this development, while its media called for caution in sharing any information that does not come directly from the party, according to an article published on Asharq Al-Awsat.
The introduction of the air defense systems belonging to Hezbollah into the ongoing escalations in the South is a new development for the last 21 days.
Since the beginning of the war on the southern borders, most Hezbollah personnel have been killed in Israeli aerial bombardments targeting groups launching rockets toward the Israeli army, according to Tel Aviv’s announcement and videos released by its army.
