Hezbollah targets Israeli military sites following explosions of communication devices in Lebanon

By Stephanie Rady

BEIRUT (AA) - Hezbollah said Wednesday that it targeted Israeli military positions in northern Israel, marking its first attack following the explosions of wireless communication devices in Lebanon.

In multiple statements, the group said it launched a series of Katyusha rocket attacks on the Sahl Battalion headquarters in Beit Hillel, as well as on the Habbouchit site of the 810th Battalion.

They also targeted Israeli artillery positions in Na'fia Ziv with a rocket barrage and shelled the Israeli Bayad Blida site.

On Tuesday, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported that an Israeli airstrike targeted the town of Majdal Selm, resulting in the deaths of two people.

The latest Hezbollah attacks represent its initial response against Israeli military targets following explosions of pager devices on Tuesday, which resulted in 12 deaths and over 2,700 injuries.

Today, at least 14 more people were killed and more than 450 others were injured in new wireless communication device explosions, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Israel remained mum, with the Prime Minister's Office distancing itself from a now-deleted social media post by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's former top aide and spokesperson Topaz Luk, which hinted at Israeli responsibility for the attacks.

Pagers, often used by civilians and health care workers for communication, are small, battery-powered wireless devices that receive text messages, audio and visual signals.

The new wave of explosions came amid an exchange of cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel against the backdrop of a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip which has killed nearly 41,300 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul