Hezbollah says attacks Israeli troops with drones, artillery, missiles

AFP , Monday 20 Nov 2023

Lebanon's Hezbollah movement said it targeted troops in northern Israel with drones, artillery and missiles on Monday, claiming a string of new attacks.

Smoke billows following an Israeli air strike on the outskirts of the Lebanese village of Alma al-Sh
Smoke billows following an Israeli air strike on the outskirts of the Lebanese village of Alma al-Shaab on November 20, 2023, amid increasing cross-border tensions as fighting continues with Hamas militants in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

 

The Israel-Lebanon border has seen daily exchanges of fire since the Israeli war on Gaza began on 7 October.

Hezbollah fighters targeted soldiers west of Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel "with three attack drones", the group said in a statement, adding shortly after that it had also targeted troops in the area with artillery fire.

Both statements claimed the attacks were "direct hits".

Earlier Monday, Hezbollah said it had fired "Burkan missiles" at an Israeli barracks, and also claimed a number of other attacks on Israeli positions.

Israel's army said "three UAVs (drones) were identified striking adjacent" to an army post, without specifying where. It added that "no injuries were reported".

In a statement, it said "25 launches were identified from Lebanon toward several locations adjacent to the border", and added that aerial defences "intercepted a number of the launches and the rest fell in open areas".

"Tanks, a fighter jet, and a helicopter struck Hezbollah terror infrastructure in Lebanon" in response to "launches toward Israeli territory", it said, while the army struck fighters attempting to fire "anti-tank missiles" in south Lebanon.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, and its subsequent military campaign on Gaza has killed more than 13,000 people, 5,500 of them are children, 3,500 women, with more than 33,000 wounded, according to authorities in Gaza.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said this month that his group, a Hamas ally, was using new weapons against Israel, including Burkan missiles, adding that they could carry "a payload of 300-500 kilogrammes" (660-1,100 pounds).

The group has also been using attack drones for the first time and has flown reconnaissance drones deep into Israel, Nasrallah said.

At least 90 people have been killed on the Lebanese side in cross-border skirmishes since last month, according to an AFP tally, most of them Hezbollah combatants but including at least 10 civilians.

Six soldiers and three civilians have been killed on the Israeli side, according to authorities there.

* This story was edited by Ahram Online

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