Click to see full-size image. By Al-Manar TV correspondent Ali Shoeib.
On January 4, Hezbollah launched at least six attacks against the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) from its heartland, southern Lebanon.
The group announced in four separate statements that its fighters had targeted gatherings of Israeli troops in the settlements of Shtoula and al-Matla as well as close to the military sites of al-Manara and al-Marj using “suitable weapons.”
In two other statements, the group said its snipers destroyed surveillance equipment in the site of Misgav Am and its fighters shelled the site of al-Jardah.
The attacks were carried out “to support the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their brave and honorable resistance,” Hezbollah noted in its statements.
Hezbollah’s Military Media also released video footage showing recent attacks with anti-tank guided missiles that targeted and destroyed surveillance equipment in several IDF military sites along the border with Lebanon.
Israel responded to the attacks with a series of strikes. The IDF said in a statement that a fighter jet struck a Hezbollah observation position and military site in the town of Maroun al-Ras in southern Lebanon. Shortly after the airstrike, troops struck an anti-tank missile squad in the area. The IDF added that its troops launched mortars “to remove a threat” close to the village of Rab al-Thalathine overnight.
In a later statement, the IDF announced that its fighter jets carried out airstrikes on several Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon.
The targets included a rocket launch position, an observation post, and other infrastructure, according to the IDF. Another Hezbollah observation post was hit by the IDF in the town of Maroun al-Ras, it adds.
In addition, IDF said that its troops opened fire to “remove a threat” near the town of Ayta al-Shab, close to the Israeli border.
Meanwhile, Lebanese media reported heavy Israeli artillery strikes on the towns of Markaba, Al-Khiyam and Hula. White phosphorus shells were used by the IDF. However, there were no reports of casualties.
The clashes on the Lebanese-Israeli border first broke out after the start of the war in Gaza, with Hezbollah and its allies carrying out attacks in support of the Strip.
Tensions rose on the border on January 2 after Saleh al-Arouri, deputy leader of the Hamas Movement, was killed in an Israeli drone strike outside the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Hezbollah vowed to respond.
As of January 4, the border clashes 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 180 have been killed. The toll includes 138 Hezbollah fighters, 14 of whom were killed in Syria, 25 Palestinians, a Lebanese soldier, at least 19 civilians and three journalists.
