UPDATE - 2 more Hezbollah fighters killed in clashes with Israel forces in southern Lebanon

UPDATES DEATH TOLL; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

By Mohammed Al Ragawi

ISTANBUL (AA) - Two more Hezbollah fighters were killed in clashes with Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, the group said on Friday.

The Lebanese group Hezbollah identified the slain fighters as Yusuf Mohammad Al-Sayyed from the town of Beit Leif and Muhammad Ali Hassan al-Zein from the town of Qabrikha in southern Lebanon.

However, the group did not go into detail about the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

This brought the total number of Hezbollah casualties to 480 since the conflict with Israel erupted on Oct. 8, 2023.

Separately, Hezbollah issued another statement accepting responsibility for targeting an Israeli military position in Metula in the Upper Galilee with an anti-tank guided missile, claiming it “hit the target directly.” No further details were provided.

There has been no Israeli comment on the attack, which came amid an escalation in cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of Israel’s deadly war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 41,300 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi