BEIRUT, (PIC)
The Israeli military on Thursday issued evacuation warnings to five towns in the Bekaa region in eastern Lebanon and three towns in the south, while media sources reported Israeli airstrikes targeting several areas across southern Lebanon.
Israeli forces warned residents of the towns of Labbaya, Sahmar, Tafahata, Kfar Melki, Yahmar, Ain al-Tineh, Houmine al-Fawqa, and Mazraat Sinai to evacuate.
The Israeli military also announced the launch of a series of airstrikes targeting multiple areas in southern Lebanon.
According to Al Jazeera, Israeli strikes targeted the towns of Tafahata, Zibqin, Siddiqin, Mansouri, and Kafra in southern Lebanon. Two additional strikes hit the towns of Labbaya and Sahmar in the western Bekaa region.
Israeli airstrikes also targeted Ain al-Tineh in western Bekaa, the Jour Heights area, and the towns of Haddatha, Kfar Melki, and Qsaybeh. Two drone strikes also hit the town of Jarjouh and the outskirts of Zrariyeh in southern Lebanon.
Two Israeli strikes also targeted the town of Froun in southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah said it fired rockets and artillery shells at an Israeli force inside a house in the town of Deir Siryan in southern Lebanon.
Earlier at dawn, Hezbollah announced that it targeted an Israeli force moving from the town of Bayyada toward Naqoura in southern Lebanon with a rocket barrage. The group also said it struck a Merkava tank with a guided missile in Tal Nahas near the outskirts of Kfarkela, affirming a direct hit.
Hezbollah added that it launched an attack using two explosive drones targeting another Merkava tank in the town of Houla, along with technical equipment in the city of Khiam in southern Lebanon.
The group also said it carried out a similar drone attack targeting a gathering of Israeli forces in the city of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health announced that 22 people were killed in Israeli strikes and attacks targeting areas in Mount Lebanon and southern Lebanon.
Despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that took effect on April 17 and was later extended following direct talks between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors in Washington, the Israeli military has continued attacks on Lebanon, especially in the south, leaving several people killed and injured.
These developments come just hours before a new round of talks between Lebanon and Israel is set to take place on Thursday in Washington, DC.
Separately, three Israeli settlers were injured Thursday after a Hezbollah drone struck the Ras Naqoura area near the Lebanese border, while Israeli forces continued launching strikes on Lebanese towns.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that three settlers were injured, including two seriously, after the drone hit a vehicle site in Ras Naqoura. Israel’s Channel 12 said the injured included two workers employed by a contracting company.
Israeli Army Radio reported that warning sirens were not activated in Ras Naqoura and that air defense systems failed to intercept the drone, which exploded near a military site in the area.
Earlier, Israel’s Home Front Command announced sirens sounding in the Upper Galilee following the detection of a drone launched from Lebanon.
Yedioth Ahronoth, citing a source, said the number of Israelis injured by Hezbollah drones over the past two weeks has risen to 17.
The newspaper also quoted an official at Rambam Hospital saying that most drone-related injuries among Israeli soldiers involved the face, neck, and hands.
A military source told the paper that Israeli soldiers in Lebanon are moving around wearing body armor and helmets, never knowing when drones might target them.
The source added that the Israeli military has so far failed to find an effective way to stop drone attacks, describing them as “the greatest threat” facing Israeli forces in Lebanon.
In the same context, the newspaper quoted a security source as saying there is currently no successful solution to confront drones, although the army is providing soldiers with protective systems and equipment.