Israeli army claims downing drone launched from Lebanon

By Said Amouri

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army claimed on Thursday that it detected two drones launched from southern Lebanon towards the Galilee panhandle area in northern Israel and downed one.

“One of the drones was shot down by a fighter jet, while the second struck the Kiryat Shmona area,” The Times of Israel cited a military statement as saying.

There were no recorded casualties.

In response, Hezbollah said that it targeted with kamikaze drones the headquarters of Brigade 769 in the Kiryat Shmona barracks on Thursday.

The group added that the attack was in response to Israel’s assassination operation in Kafr Dajjal in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army claimed Thursday to have assassinated a Hezbollah military commander in an airstrike in southern Lebanon.

A military statement said Ali Nasser Farran, allegedly responsible for Hezbollah’s weapons production, was killed in the strike.

Hezbollah, for its part, confirmed that Farran was killed in southern Lebanon without providing any details about the circumstances of his death.

In a subsequent statement, Hezbollah said that it targeted the Zebdine barracks in the occupied Shebaa Farms with missiles.

Earlier on Thursday, the group said it carried out multiple operations against Israeli army sites and headquarters near the Lebanese border, while the Army Radio reported the detection of the launch of 15 rockets from Lebanon toward Israeli towns near the border.

Tensions have risen along Lebanon’s border with Israel amid cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli forces as Tel Aviv presses ahead with a deadly onslaught against the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 35,800 people since last October.

Israel stands accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio