Omar Alothmani
19 March 2026•Update: 19 March 2026
ISTANBUL
Hezbollah claimed rocket strikes on an illegal Israeli settlement and six tanks on Thursday as cross-border attacks between the Lebanese group and Tel Aviv continued to expand.
In a statement, the group said it fired two rocket barrages at the Kiryat Shmona settlement in northern Israel, without giving further details.
Hezbollah said its fighters also hit six Merkava tanks with guided missiles in the Bidar al-Faqqani area in Taybeh in southern Lebanon.
The attacks came a day after the Lebanese group claimed 33 strikes against Israeli military sites on Wednesday.
The Israeli army has escalated its airstrikes across Lebanon in recent days amid cross-border attacks with Hezbollah, despite a ceasefire deal that has been in place since November 2024.
According to Lebanese authorities, at least 968 people have been killed and 2,432 injured in Israeli strikes across Lebanon since March 2.
The current escalation followed a joint US-Israeli offensive on Iran, which has killed around 1,300 people since Feb. 28. Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting “US military assets.”
