Hezbollah militants reportedly targeted several Israeli military installations, including a critical air surveillance base, with a barrage of rockets and drones on Saturday, after a series of Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon earlier in the day.
Dozens of missiles struck Mount Meron, the highest peak in Israel outside the Golan Heights, late Saturday night, according to videos circulating online. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that all of the rockets were “either intercepted or fell in open areas” with no damage or casualties reported, according to the Times of Israel and Jerusalem Post.
The Lebanese militant group claimed responsibility for the strike, saying in a statement early Sunday that “in response to the Israeli enemy’s attacks on the steadfast southern villages and civilian homes,” it targeted the “Meron settlement and the surrounding settlements with dozens of Katyusha rockets.”
The group said it also “launched a complex attack using explosive drones and guided missiles on the headquarters of the Al Manara military command and a gathering of forces from the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade,” earlier on Saturday. The IDF said it intercepted the incoming projectiles and “struck the sources of fire” in the Lebanese border area.
On Saturday, the Israeli Air Force conducted a series of strikes in the villages of Al-Quzah, Markaba, and Sarbin in southern Lebanon with airstrikes, reportedly targeting Hezbollah’s “terrorist and military infrastructure.” On Friday, the IDF also struck several structures in Kfarkela and Kfarchouba.
The Israeli strikes reportedly killed at least three people, including two Hezbollah fighters who the group mourned in separate statements on Saturday. Lebanese media reported that a further 11 people, including Syrian citizens, were injured in the attacks.
Hezbollah has repeatedly bombarded its southern neighbor since the military conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out last October.
The critical Israeli air surveillance base on Mount Meron also came under attacks on several occasions. The group has described the base as “the sole center for administration, monitoring, and air control in the north of the usurping entity [Israel],” without which Israel has “no viable alternative.”