Hezbollah claims cross-border attack on Israeli troops

Hezbollah set off multiple explosives on Monday, causing injuries among members of an Israeli infantry brigade at the Lebanese-Israeli border. According to Hezbollah, the explosives were strategically placed in the Tal Ismail area on the Lebanese side and were detonated as a unit from the Golani Brigade attempted to cross into Lebanon. Hezbollah claimed that it had been closely watching the Israeli forces’ movements.

The Israeli military confirmed the incident, reporting that four of its soldiers were wounded, with one suffering serious injuries, during what it described as an operation along the northern border. It later clarified that the injuries occurred on the Lebanese side of the border.

This marks the first time in six months that Hezbollah has acknowledged conducting such an attack, during a period of frequent cross-border confrontations that began with the outbreak of the Gaza war.

The episode follows heightened tensions after Iran’s missile and drone attacks on Israel late Saturday, which were in retaliation for a lethal attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

On the same day as the explosions, Israeli aircraft and artillery targeted several southern Lebanese towns, reportedly using white phosphorus bombs in areas like Dhayra, al-Labbouneh, al-Naqoura, Kfarkela, Alma al-Shaab, and Aita al-Shaab. Additionally, an overnight airstrike in Siddiqin wounded nine people, as reported by Lebanon’s National News Agency.

The ongoing skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah have been largely restricted to the border region and have resulted in the deaths of at least 364 people in Lebanon, including a majority of Hezbollah fighters and at least 70 civilians, per an AFP count. On the Israeli side, the conflict has claimed the lives of 10 soldiers and eight civilians, with tens of thousands of civilians displaced on both sides of the border.