Hezbollah fighter killed, 3 children injured in Nabatiyeh drone strike

A drone strike on Thursday targeted a car on the Kfar Dajjal-Nabatiyeh road, resulting in the death of Mohammad Farran, a Hezbollah fighter from Nabatiyeh. The attack also injured three children who were passing by in a school bus.

The strike completely destroyed Farran’s car and caused significant damage to the school bus. The injured students were quickly transported to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Farran, a 35-year-old high school physics teacher, was on his way to the Hassan Kamel al-Sabah School at the time of the attack, according to media reports. The Israeli army claimed Farran was responsible for producing strategic weapons for Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. They stated that his assassination was intended to hinder Hezbollah’s growing weapon capabilities, which are aimed at Israel.

In response, Hezbollah launched dozens of Katyusha rockets at a command center in the Illit base in northern Israel and later targeted surveillance equipment in Metula.

Hezbollah, allied with Hamas, has engaged in almost daily exchanges of fire with Israeli forces since the Palestinian group’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, which escalated the conflict in Gaza.

The ongoing conflict has resulted in at least 427 deaths in Lebanon, mostly militants but also including 82 civilians, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, 14 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed.

This surge in violence has sparked concerns about a potential full-scale war between Hezbollah and Israel, reminiscent of their 2006 conflict.