Israel strikes Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

By Ahmed Gouda

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israel launched airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon early Tuesday, according to the military.

An army statement said it struck military targets belonging to Hezbollah in Lebanese territory, without providing further details.

Initial reports emerged that a site near the village of Aitaroun in southern Lebanon was struck in the Israeli attacks, according to the Jerusalem Post newspaper.

On Monday, Hezbollah said it shelled five Israeli positions near the border with Lebanon.

Tensions have flared along the Israeli-Lebanese border amid an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and the Hezbollah group.

The escalation came amid Israeli airstrikes against the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas into Israeli border towns.

A total of 2,808 Palestinians and more than 1,400 Israelis have been killed.

Hezbollah has fought several wars with Israel, the latest of which was in 2006, during which the Lebanese group struck major Israeli cities with rockets, causing significant material damage.

Over 1,000 Lebanese were killed in the conflict, while much of southern Lebanon – a Hezbollah stronghold – was devastated by Israeli attacks.