Hezbollah claims it struck Israeli military sites near Lebanon’s border

By Naim Berjawi

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AA) - Lebanese group Hezbollah claimed Saturday that it had targeted Israeli military sites and soldiers near the border with Lebanon.

In a statement, the group said it had “targeted a gathering of enemy soldiers near the Hanita site with a Falaq missile, achieving direct hits.”

Hezbollah announced in a separate statement that its fighters had targeted Israel’s Metual site “with a Jihad missile.”

The Jihad missile, according to observers, is locally manufactured, unguided, carrying 120 kilograms (265 pounds) of warheads, and has significant destructive capability.

Hezbollah said its attack came in response to an Israeli airstrike on Friday that killed one person in the border town of Mari in Hasbaiyya in the Nabatieh province.

Later, Hezbollah added that its fighters targeted “the Ruweisat Al-Alam site in the occupied Lebanese hills of Kafr Shuba with rocket weapons, achieving direct hits.”

Fears have grown of a full-fledged war between Israel and the Lebanese resistance group following an exchange of cross-border attacks.

​​​​​​​The escalation comes against the backdrop of a deadly Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which has killed more than 38,000 people since October, following an attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala​​​​​​​