Israel Claims Killing Hezbollah Radwan Fighter in Ebba

Tensions have escalated significantly over the past week as Iran and Tehran-backed groups, including Hezbollah, have vowed retaliation for the assassination of Hamas’s political leader in Tehran and Israel’s killing of Hezbollah’s military chief in Beirut.

Hezbollah has been engaging in almost daily exchanges of fire with Israel to support its ally Hamas since the Palestinian militant group’s October 7 attack on Israel, which sparked the Gaza conflict.

These recent high-profile killings have raised fears of a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah, reminiscent of their conflict in the summer of 2006.

On Monday, Israeli airstrikes killed three individuals, including two Hezbollah fighters and a paramedic.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported that an Israeli airstrike targeted a motorbike in the southern village of Ebba, resulting in one death, one injury, and a pregnant woman miscarrying due to shock.

Earlier, the health ministry noted that an Israeli raid near the cemetery in the border village of Mays al-Jabal killed two people.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that one of the deceased in Mays al-Jabal was a paramedic affiliated with the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement.

Hezbollah confirmed the deaths of two fighters, including one from Mays al-Jabal, in separate statements.

The Israeli military stated that its air force targeted and eliminated a Hezbollah operative from the group’s elite Radwan unit in the Ebba area. Additionally, they reported striking a terrorist cell operating a drone in Mays al-Jabal.

The frontline village of Mays al-Jabal, located less than two kilometers from the Israeli border, has endured heavy bombardment since the cross-border clashes began, forcing most residents to evacuate.

Ali Abbas, a Risala Scouts rescue worker, told AFP that the paramedic was hit while traveling by motorcycle with another person to inspect the site of an earlier raid.

In response to the situation, Hezbollah claimed multiple attacks on Israeli military positions on Monday, including using explosive-laden drones in reaction to the “assassination” in Mays al-Jabal. They also targeted other military sites in northern Israel with explosive-laden drones early Monday.

The Israeli military reported numerous suspicious aerial targets crossing from Lebanon into northern Israel overnight, which started a fire and left an officer and a soldier moderately injured.

The NNA documented Israeli strikes on additional areas of southern Lebanon on Monday, while the health ministry noted that three civilians were hospitalized due to Israeli white phosphorus shelling.

In preparation for further escalation, Lebanon received 32 tons of emergency medical supplies from the World Health Organization on Monday for “treating war wounds.” Health Minister Firas Abiad mentioned that another shipment is expected in the coming days.

Lebanon is currently ill-prepared for war, with public services, including the health sector, severely impacted by a prolonged economic crisis that has led many medical professionals to emigrate.

Amidst rising tensions, Israeli jets twice broke the sound barrier over Beirut around noon on Monday, causing alarm in the Lebanese capital.

Since October, cross-border violence has resulted in the deaths of at least 550 people in Lebanon, including fighters and 116 civilians, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, 22 soldiers and 25 civilians have been killed, including in the annexed Golan Heights, as reported by the army.