By Zein Khalil
JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army launched attacks on southern Lebanese border areas on Sunday after claiming to have shot down "two suspicious air targets" in the Western Galilee region.
“Two suspicious air targets were intercepted in the Western Galilee region,” the army radio said, adding, “In response, the Israeli army is launching a wave of attacks in southern Lebanon.”
The army did not specify the nature of the two “suspicious air targets.” However, it often describes drones launched from southern Lebanon as “suspicious targets.”
Sirens sounded along the border with Lebanon, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported earlier Sunday.
The daily explained that "alarm sirens were sounded for fear of enemy aircraft infiltrating the Meta Asher and Maale Youssef towns near the Lebanese border."
Tension has flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.
The border tensions came amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip in response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
*Writing by Ikram Kouachi