Israel bombs Baalbek after Hezbollah downs drone

Hezbollah announced that it shot down an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon and launched rockets at an Israeli military base on Saturday. This came after Israeli drone strikes earlier in the day resulted in at least one death and several injuries.

In a statement, Hezbollah claimed its fighters downed a Hermes 900 Kochav drone, an aircraft used by Israel to target militants and civilian homes. The conflict along the Lebanon-Israel border has been escalating, coinciding with Israel’s military operations in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.

The Israeli military confirmed that a surface-to-air missile was fired at a drone operating in Lebanese airspace, which was hit and fell into Lebanese territory. “The incident is under review,” they stated.

The Hermes 900 Kochav is a medium-altitude, long-endurance drone capable of carrying four anti-tank guided missiles.

Hezbollah also reported that its fighters attacked an Israeli army base in Kiryat Shmona with Burkan rockets, which caused significant damage and ignited a fire. Burkan rockets can carry warheads weighing between 300 and 500 kilograms.

The Israeli army confirmed that a rocket hit a military base in Kiryat Shmona but did not provide further details. Israeli media showed images of substantial damage but reported no casualties.

Earlier on Saturday, an Israeli drone strike targeted a motorcycle near the southern Lebanese village of Khirbet Selm, injuring two people, according to the state-run National News Agency. Another drone strike was reported in a village near Nabatiyeh.

On Friday evening, an Israeli airstrike on a house in the coastal village of Adloun killed one woman and injured several others.

Late Saturday night, Israeli warplanes attacked areas west of Baalbek, wounding two people slightly and causing material damage, the National News Agency reported. Such deep strikes, about 100 kilometers from the Israeli border, have been rare in the recent conflict.

Hezbollah started targeting Israeli military posts along the Lebanon-Israel border shortly after the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7. This ongoing conflict has displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border.

Over the past seven months, more than 400 people have been killed in Lebanon, most of them fighters, along with over 70 civilians and noncombatants. In Israel, 15 soldiers and 10 civilians have been killed since October.