(Bloomberg) — Hezbollah said it launched a salvo of rockets at northern Israel following one of the deadliest strikes on Lebanon since both sides began trading fire more than 10 months ago.
The Saturday barrage on Israel’s Upper Galilee came after the Israel Defense Forces said it struck a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in Nabatieh overnight, along with other Hezbollah structures in south Lebanon. Ten Syrian nationals were killed and five others were injured, including two in critical condition, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
The Israeli military identified about 55 projectiles crossing from Lebanon, some of which fell in open areas. No injuries were reported, while multiple fires were ignited and authorities are working to extinguish them. A projectile fired earlier Saturday injured two soldiers.
The latest exchange is likely to increase concerns the near daily trading of fire between the two sides could escalate even as US officials said talks over a cease-fire in Gaza are nearing the final stages.
Tensions have soared in recent weeks after Israel blamed Hezbollah for an attack that killed 12 teenagers at a football field in the Golan Heights. Israel retaliated by striking and killing a senior commander of the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon’s capital of Beirut. Hezbollah — designated a terrorist organization by the US — said the death of the commander, Fuad Shukr, crossed a red line and it threatened to respond fiercely.
One of the most powerful militias in the Middle East, Hezbollah has been firing on Israel since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October. The Lebanese-based group has said it’s acting in solidarity with Palestinians and Hamas, and will stop once there’s a cease-fire in Gaza.
–With assistance from Galit Altstein.
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