By Yusuf Alioglu and Gulsen Topcu
BEIRUT (AA) – Lebanon’s Hezbollah group said it launched six missile strikes on military installations in northern Israel, including two airfields and an explosives factory, in retaliation for Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
The resistance group said on Telegram that the Megiddo Military Airfield west of the city of Afula was struck three times with Fadi 1 and Fadi 2 missiles.
This marks the first time the airfield, located 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the Lebanese border, was targeted by the group.
In another statement, Hezbollah confirmed that Ramat David Airbase and the Amos base, a key logistical hub for Israeli military operations in the north, were hit with Fadi 1 and Fadi 2 missiles.
Additionally, a factory in the town of Zichron Ya'acov north of Caesarea, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the Lebanese border, which produces explosives was also struck.
The group emphasized that the strikes were carried out to support "the Palestinian people in Gaza and their courageous resistance" as well as to defend Lebanon.
Earlier reports in Israeli media indicated that missile sirens were activated in several northern locations including Nazareth, Afula and areas in the Galilee region.
Israeli military sources cited by local news outlets claimed that 20 rockets were launched from Lebanon, with some intercepted and others landing in open areas.
Israel has launched a barrage of airstrikes into southern and eastern Lebanon, with Lebanese health authorities saying that at least 492 people have been killed, including 35 children, and 1,645 injured in the attacks since Monday morning, which have also forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes.
Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed over 41,400 people, the majority of whom are women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.
Israeli forces intensified their attacks on Lebanon, ignoring the international community's warnings that they would risk spreading the Gaza conflict to other regions.