Enlarge image
Lebanon, Naqoura: Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike
Photo: Ali Hashisho / dpa
Dangerous war of attrition: The Shiite militia Hezbollah and the Israeli armed forces fought again on Friday in the Israeli-Lebanese border area. According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah fired several rockets into northern Israel.
In response to the attack, Israeli fighter jets bombed a military facility in Marun al-Ras, southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah militiamen were said to have been active, the Israeli military said. Warplanes also attacked military bases in Johmor and Nakura. Israel also used artillery to attack targets across the border in southern Lebanon.
Lebanese security sources in Beirut confirmed that Hezbollah had carried out seven attacks on Israeli positions in northern Israel. The Shiite militia also announced that it had fired dozens of Katyusha rockets at an Israeli barracks in the Golan Heights. The territory occupied by Israel belongs to Syria under international law.
Israel's army says it attacked a high-ranking Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon on Thursday. This action was a reaction to rocket launches from Lebanon towards Israel, in which, according to the military, Israel was said to have been involved. The Iranian-allied Hezbollah militia reported several injuries from the Israeli airstrike.
On Friday, Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, visited Lebanon - a solidarity visit. In the capital Beirut, he publicly reiterated his country's support for Hezbollah.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war after the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7th, there have been repeated confrontations between Israel's army and militant groups such as Hezbollah in the Israeli-Lebanese border region. It is the worst escalation since the second Lebanon war in 2006.
Israel wants to use military and diplomatic pressure to ensure that the Hezbollah militia in the south of Lebanon retreats behind the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the border - as stipulated by UN Resolution 1701.
dop/dpa