Two people were killed on Saturday in an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese town of Aitaroun, Lebanon’s state news agency NNA said.The Israeli military said in a statement that its soldiers had identified a Hezbollah fighter in the Aitaroun area, and that soon afterwards an Israeli aircraft had carried out an airstrike that hit the individual.Israeli forces launched two missiles targeting a cafe at a petrol station, causing significant damage to the premises and to the surrounding area, NNA said.Lebanese armed group Hezbollah said its fighters retaliated by firing rockets on Malkia, in northern Israel, followed by a salvo of missiles at a military command centre in northern Israel using the Falaq 2 rockets. A security source told Reuters it was the first time the group used that model of rockets, having used the Falaq 1 previously.Israel Defence Forces (IDF) "identified a Hezbollah fighter in the area of Aitaroun in southern Lebanon, and shortly afterward an IAF aircraft struck the fighter,” the Israeli military said in a statement. The IDF said on Saturday jets had also struck infrastructure in the area of the town of Khiam after tanks had earlier fired at a Hezbollah military structure in the Kfarkela area. The conflict between Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Israel, which has been fought in parallel to the Gaza war, has intensified in recent days, adding to concerns that an even wider confrontation could break out between the heavily armed adversaries.
June 09, 2024 | 12:52 AM