The Israeli military said it intercepted two explosive drones fired by Hezbollah toward its forces in southern Lebanon and responded with strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure.
The Israeli military spokesperson Ella Wai said on Wednesday morning that two explosive drones were launched by Hezbollah toward Israeli forces operating in the security zone, and that Israeli forces intercepted one of them without casualties. Israeli warplanes then struck what the military said were Hezbollah infrastructure sites in the Nabatiyeh area used for planning and directing operations against Israeli forces and Israeli civilians.
The strikes followed a major escalation on Tuesday evening, when Israeli warplanes conducted a series of strikes across southern Lebanon. Towns targeted included al-Qantarah in Marjeyoun, Doueha in Nabatiyeh, and Wadi al-Saluki in Bent Jbeil. The Ruweis district of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa, which contains civilian homes, was heavily bombed.
The Israeli air force struck the funeral home at the Arabsalim cemetery early Wednesday, destroying the building which housed grave-digging equipment and small transport vehicles. The strike caused extensive damage to cemetery monuments and tombstones, and broke windows in dozens of homes nearby. Another strike targeted the home of Haidar Houmani, an official with the al-Risalah scout movement, in the Ruweis district of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa.
Throughout Tuesday night and into Wednesday, the Israeli military used internationally banned phosphorous munitions on Ali al-Tahir heights, the Dibsheh hill area north of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa, Doueha, and areas near Mifdoun and Zaota al-Sharqiya.
The military escalation is part of broader conflict that began on February 28 with hostilities between the United States, Israel and Iran, and expanded to Lebanon on March 2 after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in response to the killing of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Lebanese authorities say Israeli strikes have killed more than 4,300 people. President Joseph Aoun said on Monday during a visit to Greece that Lebanon is committed to ending hostility with Israel through diplomatic means. He stated that military solutions do not work.
The two countries signed a framework agreement after five rounds of negotiations with American mediation. The agreement calls for Hezbollah disarmament, gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory in southern Lebanon, and deployment of the Lebanese army starting from designated trial areas.
The European Union announced on Tuesday it intends to launch a training mission for the Lebanese army in the coming months, clarifying that it will not replace the temporary United Nations force in Lebanon, UNIFIL.
