Damage in Shomera, click to see full-size image. Via X.
On December 22, Hezbollah launched several attacks against the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) from its heartland, southern Lebanon.
In four separate statements, the group announced attacks against gatherings of IDF troops in the Shomera barracks, the settlement of Even Menachem as well as in the military sites of Metulla and al-Manara. In two other statements, it said that its fighters had shelled Shomera and a command and control center of the IDF near border point 430.
Hebrew media said that some 20 rockets were fired at Shomera. Meanwhile, the IDF said that a soldier was killed and another was seriously wounded as a result of an attack by Hezbollah near the settlement of Shtula.
According to Hezbollah, the attacks were carried out “to support the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their brave and honorable resistance.”
The group’s Military Media also released videos documenting an attack on an armored personnel carrier in a settlement in a base near the settlement of Bet Hilel that took place on December 3 and another that targeted the border settlement of Avivm on December 21.
In response to the last wave of attacks, the IDF carried out airstrikes against a series of Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon. The targets included military compounds where Hezbollah fighters operated, and other infrastructure belonging to the group, according to the IDF.
Lebanese media didn’t report any civilian casualties. However, Hezbollah said that two of its fighters were killed “on the road to Jerusalem.”
Separately, the IDF announced that on December 15, an Air Force fighter jet shot down a drone launched from Lebanon, over the sea. According to the IDF, the drone was heading toward Israel but did not enter Israeli airspace. It added that the interception was carried out in cooperation with the Navy.
Hezbollah and its allies began launching attacks against the IDF following the October 7 surprise attacks on Israel, which ignited the war in Gaza.
As of December 22, the clashes on the border have resulted in four civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of nine IDF soldiers. On the Lebanese side, more than 120 have been killed. The toll includes 112 Hezbollah members, ten of whom were killed in Syria, 16 Palestinian fighters, at least 17 civilians and three journalists.
