Israeli airstrikes target southern Lebanon, Bekaa region

By Anadolu staff

The Israeli army on Saturday conducted a series of airstrikes on southern Lebanon and the Bekaa region, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

Air raid sirens have also been activated in Kiryat Shmona and several settlements in the Upper Galilee, the Israeli Army Radio said, adding that 25 rockets were fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel, causing several fires but no casualties.

The sirens also echoed in Safed and the Galilee Panhandle region, signaling an increase in hostilities.

The Israeli Channel 12 reported that the army launched attacks in the Litani River area deep inside Lebanon, about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the border.

A rocket fired from Lebanon reportedly struck the Birya area in Upper Galilee, prompting the Israeli army to close off roads and routes in the northern Golan Heights.

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have intensified in recent days amid an escalation in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel’s deadly war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 41,400 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi