In a significant turn of events, Hezbollah, a militant organization based in Lebanon, carried out its first-ever attack on Israeli military positions using explosive drones.
This represents a dangerous escalation in the ongoing border clashes that have persisted for over three weeks. In response, the Israeli army targeted multiple Hezbollah positions in Lebanon after a series of drone launches toward Israel.
The Lebanon National News Agency confirmed that Israeli artillery shells struck various areas along the southern border. Hezbollah, which receives support from Iran, claimed responsibility for the attack and revealed that they used two drones loaded with explosives to target an Israeli army command post in the disputed Shebaa Farms area along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
This incident occurred shortly after Hezbollah acknowledged using a surface-to-air missile to target an Israeli drone. The Shebaa Farms, a 15-square-mile (39-square-km) region, has been a source of contention since the 1967 Middle East war, with both Syria and Lebanon asserting that it belongs to Lebanon, while Israel maintains control over it.
Hezbollah militants have been involved in ongoing exchanges of fire with Israeli forces along the Israeli-Lebanese border since the conflict between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel began on October 7, marking the deadliest escalation in the region since the 2006 war.
Hezbollah's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, is scheduled to deliver his first public speech since the start of the violence on Friday, and this address is highly anticipated in the region. This latest development has increased tensions in an already volatile region, and the international community is closely monitoring the situation as it continues to unfold.