Israel & Hezbollah exchanged fire

By Cindy Riechau, Amira Rajab and Weedah Hamzah

Beirut (dpa) — Israel carried out multiple strikes on locations in southern Lebanon on Friday, while Hezbollah launched drones and other attacks toward northern Israel, reports said.

Lebanon’s state news agency NNA reported several Israeli attacks on towns in the south beginning in the morning. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Israeli military said an explosives-laden drone launched from Lebanon crashed in northern Israel near the border. Local media reported two people were lightly injured in the afternoon when their vehicle was hit.

Another drone from Lebanon was intercepted earlier in the day, the military said, adding that air raid sirens were triggered in northern Israel. Additional “suspicious aerial targets” were also said to have been intercepted.

Hezbollah had also targeted Israeli troops stationed in southern Lebanon, including with drone attacks, according to the Israeli military. The Iran-backed Shiite group claimed responsibility for several of the attacks.

Israel & Hezbollah exchanged fire

Israel’s military said it had struck more than 40 Hezbollah infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon on Thursday. Lebanese sources reported multiple fatalities.

In the city of Bint Jbeil, considered a Hezbollah stronghold, more than 200 members of the group have been killed in recent weeks in close combat and air strikes, according to Israeli figures.

Lebanese reports, however, frequently say civilians are also among those killed in Israeli attacks.

Israeli forces have destroyed “more than 900 infrastructure sites” in Bint Jbeil in recent weeks, the military said, including the city’s stadium, where it said explosive devices had been planted.

The stadium held symbolic significance as the site of a major rally by former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in 2000 following Israel’s troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Nasrallah was killed by Israel in 2024.

While ceasefire is technically in place, hostilities by the two sides continue on a daily basis.