Continuous fire exchange prevailed on the southern border on Thursday as Israeli warplanes carried out an air strike early in the afternoon on the outskirts of the cemetery in the town of Rab Thalathin, resulting in one death and several injuries, according to information obtained by This Is Beirut. Phosphorus shells also targeted the town of Mays al-Jabal, particularly the neighborhoods of al-Dabaka, al-Jadida and Bab al-Shaqaa. Several fires were reported in the forests and houses of the Israeli settlement of Manara, opposite the village.
Israeli media announced that “an anti-tank missile fell on a building in Shtula in the Western Galilee, causing significant damage to the site, and fires broke out after an anti-tank missile hit a building in Manara in the Upper Galilee.” Also on the ground, the Naqaa area on the outskirts of the village of Aitaroun in southern Lebanon was targeted by Israeli artillery fire around noon. The shelling caused fires in the region, which firefighting teams worked to extinguish.
Additionally, a civil defense member survived an Israeli drone attack during a raid on the outskirts of Kfarchouba on Thursday morning.
Hezbollah’s Retaliation
Hezbollah claimed several operations targeting “buildings used by the Israeli enemy’s soldiers in the settlements of Shtula and Manara with appropriate weapons.” Hezbollah also announced that it targeted “the espionage equipment at the Birkat Risha site with appropriate weapons and struck it directly,” as well as the Hanita position, with artillery shells, and the Malkiya site.
The pro-Iranian group also announced the death of one of its fighters, Abdallah Mohammad Faqih, in a strike on Rab Thalathin.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced that air defenses had intercepted two drones launched from Lebanon, one of which was off the coast of Nahariya. Moreover, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority revealed that “the army has informed political leaders that preparations for a major ground maneuver in Lebanon are complete.”
It added that “the Israeli army is preparing, before the ground maneuvers in Lebanon, to conduct strong air operations.” An Israeli Air Force commander, speaking from the border with Lebanon, stated that “Israelis are ready for war, they will face the ‘enemy,’ and there will be surprises.”
