For the first time since the start of the ongoing escalations on the southern front between Hezbollah and Israel, Israeli bombing has reached Nabatieh.

Tensions persisted on the southern front on Saturday morning, with Hezbollah announcing that it had shelled Hadb positions, facing the village of al-Bustan, and Raheb positions, in addition to infantry units in Shtula and Khallet Ward, and the new headquarters of the military command in Sasa earlier during the day.

On the Israeli side, sirens sounded in Kibbutz Sasa and Shtoula, on the country’s northern border. The Israeli army said that 25 shells had been fired from Lebanon “without causing any casualties” and that it was returning fire.

Israeli bombardments on Saturday morning targeted the villages of Labbouneh, Naqoura, Chameh, Tayr Harfa, Alma al-Shaab, Aita al-Shaab, Ramya, Debl, Kfar Kila, and Markaba, as well as the village of Mansouri in the western sector. Air raids were also carried out on the perimeters of the villages of Majdel Zoun, Sarbine, and Bayt Lif, and phosphorus bombs were dropped on the village of Marouahine. A three-story building in Maroun al-Ras was also targeted by Israeli bombardment.

During the night, the southern front was also marked by an exchange of artillery fire between Hezbollah and Israel, as well as by Israeli reconnaissance aircraft flying over the western and central sectors until dawn. The Israeli army also fired flares over villages along the Blue Line and the coastline.

At dawn on Saturday, the Israeli army fired two missiles at an aluminum factory on the Toul-Kfour road in the Nabatieh district, causing a fire. No casualties were reported. Civil Defense units succeeded in extinguishing the fire.

This is the first time since the start of hostilities on the southern front between Hezbollah and Israel on October 8 that Israeli bombing has come so close to Nabatieh.

For its part, Hezbollah announced that it had shot down an Israeli Hermes 450 tactical drone with a surface-to-air missile on Friday night, claiming that the aircraft’s debris had fallen over the Galilee.

In this connection, the Israeli army announced that its air defense system had intercepted a surface-to-air missile launched from South Lebanon at one of its drones. The sirens sounded as the intercepting missiles were launched, and the projectile launched from Lebanon did not enter Israel.