Breaking: Hezbollah Hits Safad; Israel Reports 5 Soldiers Killed in South Lebanon

Hezbollah announced on Friday that it launched a drone assault on a military base in northern Israel, near the border, following earlier claims of rocket fire targeting the same region.

According to Hezbollah’s statement, the attack involved “explosives-laden drones” aimed at the base east of Safad, and shortly before, the group said it had fired “a salvo of rockets” at the town.

Overnight, Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes on several locations in Beirut’s southern suburbs, including Choueifat, Hadath, Haret Hreik, and Borj al-Barajneh.

 

Five Israeli Soldiers Killed in Southern Lebanon

On Friday, the Israeli army reported that five soldiers were killed and two severely injured in combat in southern Lebanon. This brings the total of Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon to 32 since the ground operation began on September 30.

 

Rocket Attack Injures Three in Israel’s Majd Al-Krum

A rocket attack from Lebanon critically injured three people in Israel’s northern town of Majd Al-Krum, including two men, both aged 21, and a 35-year-old woman. Israeli rescue services reported that six others were injured, including an 80-year-old man in serious condition. According to Israel’s military, the rocket barrage hit a gym in Majd Al-Krum, while 45 projectiles were fired from Lebanon; some were intercepted, while others landed in open areas.

 

Israeli Strikes in Eastern Lebanon Result in 12 Fatalities, Including Three Children

On Thursday, Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon killed 12 people, including three children, in two villages. Seven individuals, among them the children, were killed in an airstrike on Al-Khodr village in the Baalbek-Hermel region, with five others killed in another nearby attack.

 

Health Workers and Hospitals Impacted by Israeli Strikes

Lebanon’s caretaker Health Minister, Firas Abiad, reported Friday that Israeli strikes over the past year have damaged 55 hospitals, with 36 directly hit, resulting in 12 deaths and 60 injuries. Eight hospitals have been forced to shut down, while seven remain partially functional.

Abiad emphasized that paramedics have also been targeted, with 151 deaths and 272 injuries reported among rescue workers. He claimed Israel’s military has prevented recovery of eight paramedics in southern Lebanon, stating that such actions are deliberate attacks on medical personnel, constituting a “war crime.”

 

Israeli Strike Closes Lebanon-Syria Border Crossing

An Israeli airstrike on Friday hit a border crossing between Lebanon and Syria in Qaa, marking the third such border crossing closure. This leaves only three functioning border routes. Previously, an October 5 Israeli airstrike left a large crater on the Lebanese side of the Masnaa crossing, the busiest border route between Lebanon and Syria. In late September, another Israeli airstrike forced the closure of the Matraba crossing in Lebanon’s northeast.