Ikram Kouachi
16 December 2023•Update: 16 December 2023
BEIRUT
Hezbollah announced on Saturday that its fighters had targeted three Israeli military sites along Lebanon's southern border, resulting in "many casualties and injuries among Israeli soldiers."
The Lebanon-based group said in a statement that its forces “targeted the Ramim and Metulla military sites.”
The group also “targeted the Israeli military site of Birket Rishe off the Lebanese border with a guided missile,” the statement added.
It claimed that the target was hit with complete “accuracy," resulting in "many casualties and injuries among Israeli soldiers."
Meanwhile, the Israeli army claimed on Saturday that it had shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near the Lebanese border.
In a statement, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said: “Following a warning about the infiltration of a hostile aircraft in the north of the country, the air defense fighters intercepted a hostile aircraft that crossed from Lebanese territory to Israeli territory.”
“Another hostile aircraft that crossed the territory of Lebanon and fell in the Margaliot area was also detected,” he added.
“The Israel Defense Forces attacked Lebanese territory with artillery,” he added.
Tensions have flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.
The border tensions come amid an ongoing Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
