Hezbollah says Israeli strike killed three of its fighters in Lebanon

A view of rubble of destroyed houses caused by Israeli air raids are seen in the Lebanese southern village of Naqura, located at the Lebanese-Israeli border. Marwan Naamani/dpa

At least three members from the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement were killed Wednesday in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah and Lebanese security sources said.

Lebanese security sources said the Israeli drone attack struck an area in the southern village of Yaroun, not far from the border with Israel. According to the same sources Yaroun was hit twice overnight and this morning

In a statement, Hezbollah declared the deaths of three of its fighters. The militia usually does not elaborate on when and where its fighters die.

The strike was an Israeli retaliation to a series of attacks carried out by the Shiite militia, among them drones fired on Israeli soldiers in Metulla in northern Israel.

The state-run Lebanese news agency NNA also reported Israeli air strikes on the areas around Khiyam and near the coastal city of Tyre.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that on Wednesday morning, "several Hezbollah terrorists were identified entering a military structure in the area of Yaroun which is used as a weapons storage facility."

It said the air force attacked the structure where the terrorists operated.