Israeli Airstrikes in Southern Lebanon Kill Six Hezbollah Fighters and a Child Amid Escalating Border Clashes

by Pooja Chauhan · 23/08/2024

Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon killed six Hezbollah fighters and a child on Friday, as cross-border hostilities with the Iran-backed group escalate, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.

Bollywood Fever: Israeli airstrikes on Friday targeted multiple locations across southern Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of at least six Hezbollah fighters and a child, according to security sources. The strikes come amid escalating tensions along Lebanon’s southern border, where the Israeli military has been engaged in ongoing exchanges of fire with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, in parallel with the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The strikes targeted the southern Lebanese towns of Mays al-Jabal and Tayr Harfa, where four Hezbollah fighters were killed, according to the group’s death notices and a security source. In a separate strike outside Aitarun, another fighter was killed, although it was not immediately confirmed if the individual was a member of Hezbollah.

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In the village of Aita, approximately 14 kilometers (nine miles) north of the Israeli border, an Israeli airstrike claimed the lives of a Hezbollah fighter and a child, according to the security source. Hezbollah identified the fallen fighter as Mohammad Najem, who was reportedly a member of the group’s rocket and missile unit. The Israeli military confirmed Najem’s targeting, stating that he was involved in launching projectiles into northern Israel.

The Israeli military reported that “a number of projectiles fired from Lebanese territory” had crossed into northern Israel during the day, though no injuries were reported. In response, Hezbollah’s press office announced that the group had fired rockets and artillery at various Israeli military positions throughout the day, intensifying the cross-border exchanges.

Since the outbreak of these clashes in October, more than 600 people have been killed in Lebanon, including over 400 Hezbollah combatants and more than 130 civilians, according to a toll compiled by Reuters. The escalating violence has heightened fears of a full-scale regional conflict, as hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah show no sign of abating.