Following the downing of one of its drones, Israel has unleashed a mighty series of air strikes on Hezbollah's bases in Eastern Lebanon early Sunday. The strikes were a direct repercussion of Hezbollah militants shooting down an Israeli drone, sparking fierce Israeli backlash. Through a released statement, Israel confirmed that these strikes were intentionally targeting Hezbollah strongholds. As tension escalates between the two nations, ongoing exchanges of fire persist. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that their combat aircraft targeted a military complex and three other structures in the city of Baalbek.
The attack came in response to the pro-Iranian Hezbollah's downing of an unmanned aerial vehicle in Lebanese airspace, identified by Hezbollah as an Israeli-manufactured Hermes 900 drone. Tensions in the region surged following an initiation of warfare in Gaza by Israel, just a day after Hamas attacked Israel, intensifying the regional turmoil. Since October 8, 2023, Hezbollah has been launching attacks on Israel from Lebanon's southern border.
As of now, 270 Hezbollah fighters have perished
The Israeli artillery has resulted in approximately 270 Hezbollah fighter casualties, along with nearly 50 civilians. In Southern Lebanon, close to 90,000 individuals have been displaced, while over 96,000 Israelis have evacuated from the country's northern border regions. The United States and other countries have called for a diplomatic resolution to the exchange of fire between Hezbollah and Israel.
Hezbollah has made it clear that they will not cease fire until a ceasefire is implemented in Gaza. Sources reveal that the Israeli strikes targeted Hezbollah's training camps in the village of Janta, near the Syrian border. The sources indicated that there were no immediate reports of fatalities from the attacks.
