BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group launched a drone attack Tuesday against Israeli military bases north of Acre, marking its deepest strike into Israeli territory since the Gaza war commenced.
The Israeli military reported no damage to its facilities from Hezbollah but confirmed intercepting two aerial targets off Israel’s northern coast earlier Tuesday.
Both sides have exchanged missile fire and airstrikes regularly since the conflict in Gaza began last October, carefully avoiding escalation to full-scale war. However, ongoing strikes have heightened concerns that a mishap or miscalculation could quickly intensify the conflict, potentially drawing in regional and global powers, including the United States.
Hezbollah described the drone strikes as retaliation for an earlier Israeli attack that killed one of its members. The group released what it claimed to be a satellite image showing the strike’s location with a flash and a red circle, situated between Acre and Nahariyya.
In retaliation, the Israeli military targeted areas in Ayta ash Shab, Blida, and near Markaba in southern Lebanon with airstrikes.
Earlier Tuesday, the Israeli military said its airstrikes in southern Lebanon had killed two Hezbollah fighters. Hezbollah acknowledged the death of one fighter, Hussein Azkoul, but did not provide additional details.
An overnight Israeli strike from Monday to Tuesday reportedly killed a member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Forces, although Hezbollah has not confirmed this.
Since October, Israeli actions have resulted in the deaths of approximately 270 Hezbollah fighters and about 50 civilians. Hezbollah’s retaliation through rocket and drone fire has led to the deaths of roughly a dozen Israeli soldiers and six civilians, displacing tens of thousands from both sides.
