Israeli army says it struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli military said Monday that its warplanes carried out strikes on targets belonging to the Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon.

A military statement said that fighter jets struck a Hezbollah military building and infrastructure in the Aitaroun area.

A Hezbollah military building in the village of Ayta ash Shab and infrastructure in Chaqra in southern Lebanon were also targeted, according to the statement.

The attacks coincided with a visit by US envoy Amos Hochstein to Israel that began on Monday which is expected to take him to Lebanon on Tuesday as part of efforts to calm the situation on the border between the two sides.

In recent weeks, the "Blue Line" demarcating the border between Israel and Lebanon has seen a notable escalation, with the US repeatedly calling for its containment.

Hochstein met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials to address the growing tensions along the Israeli-Lebanese border.

In recent weeks, the border has witnessed a significant escalation.

In October 2022, Lebanon and Israel in a deal mediated by Hochstein signed an agreement to delineate their maritime borders. Hezbollah hailed the agreement as a major victory for Lebanon.

The Israeli army warned in a statement that “Hezbollah’s increasing aggression is bringing us to the brink of what could be a wider escalation -- one that could have devastating consequences for Lebanon and the entire region.”

Typically, each Hezbollah escalation is a response to Israel assassinating a senior figure in the Lebanese group’s ranks or the killing of Lebanese civilians in Israeli airstrikes.

Tensions have risen along Lebanon's border with Israel amid cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli forces as Tel Aviv presses ahead with its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 37,300 people since last October following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio