Israel-Hamas War: For First Time Since October 7, IDF Bombs East Lebanon

Israel carried out airstrikes in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Plain on Monday, killing at least two Hezbollah members, according to Lebanese security sources.

This is the first time the Israeli army has bombed eastern Lebanon since the war in the Gaza Strip began on October 7.

The IDF says it targeted Hezbollah’s air defenses after one of its Hermes 450 tactical drones was shot down Monday morning by the Shiite paramilitary group that supports Palestinian Hamas.

According to sources, the Israeli Air Force conducted a simultaneous strike about 18 kilometers from the city of Baalbek, an ancient city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hezbollah had earlier announced that it had neutralized an Israeli drone with a surface-to-air missile.

Israeli “aggression” “will not go unanswered”

A political leader of the movement, Hassan Fadallah, declared on television that Israeli “aggression” “will not go unanswered.”

He was speaking at the funeral of a Hezbollah fighter who was killed a few days ago.

A car was also the target of an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, according to Hezbollah television channel Al Manar. One person was killed, Lebanese security sources reported.

Israel and Hezbollah have escalated the exchange of fire and cross-border attacks since the war in the Gaza Strip began on October 7 due to an attack by Hamas on Israeli territory.

Israel primarily bombs southern Lebanon near the border, although it has targeted targets further north in recent weeks.

Monday’s strike in the Bekaa plain, considered a Hezbollah stronghold, marks the expansion of this Israeli campaign, a source close to the Lebanese security services commented.

According to official figures, Israeli strikes since October 7 have killed about fifty civilians in Lebanon, as well as about 200 Hezbollah fighters.

Five civilians were killed in the attack on the border with Israel from Lebanon and about ten people were killed in the ranks of the Israeli army.