Hezbollah claims largest airstrike on Israeli base
Jul 08, 2024
Jerusalem [Israel], July 8: In an announcement of the "largest operation" carried out by its air defence forces, Hezbollah said its fighters launched multiple squadrons of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in succession at the target, an Israeli reconnaissance centre on Mount Hermon.
Hezbollah said the new drone attack was part of a "revenge" for the death of one of its special forces in an Israeli strike deep in eastern Lebanon, about 100 km from the border, according to AFP.
Hezbollah also said the attack on Mount Hermon targeted intelligence systems, destroying them and causing a major fire.
In two statements, the Israeli military said its air defences successfully intercepted several aerial targets flying from Lebanon after sirens sounded in the Golan Heights area.
Also according to the Israeli military, a UAV with explosives crashed in an open area in the Mount Hermon area, but no one was injured.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's office said he visited soldiers on Mount Hermon earlier on July 7.
In a video from Mount Hermon, Mr. Gallant said that even if there is a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, "we will continue to fight and do everything necessary to bring about the desired results" in the campaign against Hezbollah.
The Israeli military said earlier that the Israeli strike on July 7 killed a key member of Hezbollah's Air Defense Unit.
Also on July 7, Hezbollah announced four more attacks on Israeli military sites using a series of rockets as well as several guided missiles. Israeli officials reported four injuries.
These are the latest tit-for-tat attacks in an escalating series of cross-border Israeli-Lebanese gun battles that have caused global alarm.
Hezbollah, an Iran-backed ally of Hamas, has fought Israeli forces almost daily since the Hamas-Israel conflict broke out on October 7, 2023.
Cross-border violence between Israel and Lebanon has killed at least 497 people in Lebanon, mostly militants but also 95 civilians, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, at least 16 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed, according to Israeli officials.
The fighting has also displaced tens of thousands of residents from border areas in both southern Lebanon and northern Israel, according to AFP.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
