Israeli warplanes hit Hezbollah targets deep inside Lebanon

Thick smoke billows following an Israeli rocket attack on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of Dhaira. Marwan Naamani/dpa

Israeli warplanes have carried out several airstrikes on Hezbollah posts in areas west of the ancient city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, Lebanese security sources said late on Saturday.

The sources said the first strike was near a farm at the outskirts of the town of Qald al-Sabaa in western Baalbek.

They added that at least two people were wounded in the strike but did not specify if they were members of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia.

A few minutes later, Israeli warplanes also raided areas at the outskirts of Chmistar near Baalbek city, targeting what sources said were a Hezbollah training area and an arms depot.

The strikes came after Hezbollah claimed several attack on Israeli posts in northern Israel.

The Israeli army has not yet commented on the strikes.

Since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip last October, there have been daily clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah and other groups in the border area between Israel and Lebanon.

The mutual shelling has caused many casualties and severe destruction in villages on both sides of the border. Around 150,000 people have been evacuated or left the combat zone.

One person died in a series of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon overnight, state media in the Middle Eastern country reported earlier.

A number of people were also injured in the attacks on various locations in southern Lebanon, according to the NNA news agency.

One building in the coastal town of Aadloun was destroyed and dozens more were damaged, it said, while two people on a motorcycle were injured near Majdal Selm on Saturday.

According to the Israeli armed forces, the two were members of Hezbollah.

The military said it launched attacks during the night on Hezbollah targets around Aadloun, Qana and Hmaileh, among other locations, in response to earlier attacks targeting northern Israel.

The Israeli strikes hit several rocket launch sites previously used by Hezbollah, which is allied to Iran and the Palestinian militant Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, officials said.

In turn, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for attacks on northern Israel on Saturday. In response to the strike on the motorcycle, the militia said it fired attack drones at Israeli military targets near Yiftah in northern Israel.

© Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH