BEIRUT/ JERUSALE: Israeli warplanes struck Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley on Monday, killing at least two Hezbollah members in its deepest attack into Lebanese territory since hostilities erupted with the Iran-backed group last October, sources in Lebanon said.
The Israeli army said its fighter jets had struck Hezbollah air defences in the Bekaa Valley in response to the downing of an Israeli drone, which the Lebanese group said it had shot down with a surface-to-air missile.
The incidents marked an escalation of hostilities fought in parallel to the conflict in Gaza, heightening the risks of further escalation between heavily armed adversaries that last went to war in 2006.
The Israeli strikes hit a region near the Syrian border which is a political stronghold of Hezbollah, some 18 km (11 miles) from the city of Baalbek, which is known for its ancient ruins.
The sources said Israel had carried out simultaneous strikes in the area. A Lebanese security source and a source familiar with the matter said two Hezbollah members had been killed. Lebanese television station Al-Jadeed broadcast images of plumes of smoke rising from the area. Hezbollah politician Hassan Fadlallah said Israel had widened its strikes by hitting Baalbek and other areas, and was seeking to “compensate” for the downing of its drone.
“Its aggression on Baalbek or any other areas will not remain without response,” he said in televised remarks delivered at the funeral of a Hezbollah fighter killed in recent days.
An Israeli airstrike also hit a car in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV reported. A security source in Lebanon said at least one person had been killed. The Israeli military said it would “continue operating to defend the State of Israel from the threat of Hezbollah terrorist organisation, including in aerial operations above Lebanese territory”. –Agencies
