Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants engaged in cross-border hostilities for a second consecutive day in the aftermath of the collapsed truce. Hezbollah, backed by Iran, reported the death of one of its fighters without specifying the timing. Three individuals in south Lebanon lost their lives due to Israeli shelling on Friday, as confirmed by Lebanon’s state news agency, with Hezbollah acknowledging two of the fatalities as its fighters.
Hezbollah also claimed to have fired rockets at an Israeli position. Israel’s military responded, stating that two mortar bombs launched from Lebanon landed in open areas in Shomera, near the south Lebanon village of Marwahin. The military retaliated by targeting the launch site and other locations in south Lebanon.
Israeli shelling struck near the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) headquarters close to the coastal town of Naqoura and around the border village of Rmaych, as reported by a UNIFIL spokesperson. The Israeli military explained that it conducted shelling near Naqoura after observing “unusual activity” in the area.
UNIFIL also detected fire from the area of Tayr Harfa, approximately a mile from the Israeli frontier, toward Israel around 11 a.m. (0900 GMT), according to the spokesperson.
The escalation follows the eruption of the Hamas-Israel war on Oct. 7, during which Hezbollah launched near-daily rocket attacks on Israeli positions at the frontier, and Israel responded with air and artillery strikes in south Lebanon. The border remained relatively calm during the week-long truce in the Gaza conflict.
This recent violence marks the most significant fighting since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, which is aligned with Hamas. The toll on Lebanon’s side includes just over 100 casualties, with 83 identified as Hezbollah fighters. Tens of thousands of people have fled both sides of the border.
