BEIRUT: Iran-backed Hezbollah intensified its military operations against Israeli army sites on Monday, increasing its use of drones and artillery rockets.
The group said its air defenses downed an Israeli attack drone over southern Lebanon. It reported the destruction of the drone over the Rihan area in the Iqlim Al-Tuffah region on Monday afternoon.
Israeli army radio reported a fire at a newly established Israeli military base near Nahariya after a drone exploded.
It also said fires and damage resulted from six anti-tank missiles launched from Lebanon toward Upper Galilee towns.
Hezbollah claimed the destruction of a section of the headquarters of the Golan Division, which caught fire after being targeted by a swarm of assault drones.
Israeli media confirmed that two drones exploded in the north of the Golan Heights, causing a fire in the area. The Israeli army’s efforts to intercept them were unsuccessful.
The Israeli army confirmed that two explosive-laden drones had infiltrated from Lebanon, but added that it had intercepted two other drones off the shores of Nahariya.
It added that it had “monitored the firing of anti-tank shells from Lebanon towards the locations of Al-Manara, Yaroun, Avivim, Margaliot, and Yiftah, resulting in building damage and fires.”
The army said it shelled the towns of Aita Al-Shaab, Hanin, and Salhani using artillery.
Hezbollah said that it had targeted two buildings in the Manara settlement where Israeli soldiers had been stationed.
It also struck a building in Yir’on, which was being used by soldiers, which resulted in one fatality and one person being wounded.
An assault drone accurately targeted the Bayad Blida site. Hezbollah also targeted espionage equipment in the Ramim barracks which led to its destruction, according to the group.
Hezbollah added that it had launched an aerial attack using a squadron of drones on the newly established command headquarters of Brigade 146 east of Nahariya.
Officers and other soldiers were targeted in the operation, resulting in casualties.
Alarm sirens sounded in several settlements in Upper Galilee due to the fear of drones.
Israeli newspaper Maariv reported on the weekly attacks in the northern region, citing a report from the Lobby 1701 organization. The report said that there had been a sharp increase in the number of drones launched by Hezbollah toward northern Israel.
It was reported that Hezbollah launched 17 rockets, 132 curved-trajectory rockets, and 53 drones in the past week.
The newspaper said that “38 civilians and soldiers were injured, and one soldier was killed.”
Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon targeted the town of Hanin in the Bint Jbeil district, which was hit by artillery shelling, along with the town of Mays Al-Jabal.
Israeli warplanes carried out raids on the outskirts of Wadi Hunin between the towns of Houla and Markaba. No casualties were reported.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan said on Monday that the ministry’s office in Bint Jbeil had been attacked by Israeli forces for a second time.
He noted “the continuous Israeli shelling for eight months (in the region) with phosphorus bombs.”
Israel also renewed its threats to Lebanese citizens on Monday, urging them to evacuate their homes before they were bombed.
A citizen in Al-Bazourieh, in the Tyre district, received a text message at dawn from an Israeli number. The sender, who was identified as Haitham, told him to “evacuate the four-story building … because the building is about to be bombed.”
Several families left the area, and schools decided to close their doors to students who were planning to take end-of-year exams, but the raid failed to materialize.
A security source highlighted to Arab News the distressing impact of such messages on people’s well-being.
The source said: “Unknown numbers are calling and indicating which houses will be targeted.
“This has led to people asking numerous questions. These questions unintentionally provide the Israeli side with valuable information. They now have accurate details about the residence of every family and individual, which reveals who is a party (Hezbollah) member and who is not.”
The security source added that “the situation is complex and confusing. Today, there was a threat but no bombing, while before, there was a threat, and the targeted building was bombed.”
Meanwhile, Lebanese group the Lady of the Mountain Gathering has expressed its solidarity with “the families, individuals, children, and elderly who are besieged by Israeli attacks on one side and Hezbollah’s decisions on the other.”
The group added: “Defending Lebanon is not the responsibility of a party, organization, or even a sect.
“We need a national state in accordance with the constitution and international legitimacy.
“The people of the south and all Lebanese have the right to live with dignity under the Lebanese flag and the protection of the army, which alone has the exclusive right to defend Lebanon.”
