Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
Three personnel of the Lebanese Civil Defense were killed and two others were wounded late on September 7 when an Israeli strike targeted southern Lebanon, the heartland of Hezbollah.
Lebanese military sources told China’s Xinhua news agency that an Israeli combat drone fired a missile at a group of Civil Defense personnel who were trying to extinguish a fire caused by a previous strike on the valley of Froun near the border with Israel.
The three Civil Defense personnel killed in the drone strike were identified as Abbas Hammoud, Muhammad Hashem and Qassem Bazzi. Both Hashem and Bazzi were members of the Amal Movement party, which is the top ally of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Early on September 8, Hezbollah responded to the deadly strike by launching two salvos of rockets at the settlement of Kiryat Shemona and another at the settlement of Shamir. Both settlements are located in northern Israel, close to the border with Lebanon.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said that some 50 rockets were launched from Lebanon at Israel overnight, casual material losses only.
In retaliation, Israeli strikes hit buildings used by Hezbollah in the towns of Aitaroun, Maroun al-Ras and Yaroun in southern Lebanon, according to the IDF. Video footage of the strikes were released. No casualties were reported by Lebanese media.
The clashes on the Lebanese-Israeli border first broke out after the start of the war on Gaza last October, with Hezbollah and its allies launching near-daily attacks against the IDF in support of the Strip.
So far, the border clashes have resulted in 26 civilian deaths in Israel and the occupied Golan as well as the deaths of at least 20 soldiers and security officers. On the Lebanese side, more than 870 people have been killed, including 433 fighters of Hezbollah and over 150 civilians.
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