Hezbollah mourns death of fighter after Israel resumes attacks

By Stephanie Rady

BEIRUT (AA) – Hezbollah mourned the death of one of its fighters killed by the Israeli army on Friday, the first death for the Lebanon-based resistance group since the resumption of fighting following the end of a week-long humanitarian pause earlier this morning.

The Hezbollah statement identified the fighter as Hussein Mazraani, who was killed in the southern village of Houla.

The statement did not specify how he was killed, but it did say he was killed "on the road to Jerusalem," referring to the Hezbollah fight in support of Palestinians facing Israel's devastating onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip.

The death toll of Hezbollah fighters killed by Israeli forces since Oct. 8 has risen to 86, according to previous statements by the group.

The Lebanese official news agency NNA said earlier that two Lebanese citizens, a woman and her son, were killed by the Israeli bombing on the Houla village.

On Friday, Hezbollah and the Israeli army exchanged fire across the border areas, following the end of a seven-day humanitarian pause.

Tensions have flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.

The border tensions come amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar