An Israeli airstrike on Friday killed two Hezbollah fighters near the Lebanon border, according to a source close to the group and Israel’s military.2 Hezbollah Fighters Killed in Israeli Airstrike on South Lebanon2 Hezbollah Fighters Killed in Israeli Airstrike on South Lebanon
The strike occurred amid heightened tensions, with drones broadcasting anti-Hezbollah messages over southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah has engaged in near-daily exchanges of fire with Israeli forces in support of their ally, Hamas, since the Palestinian militant group’s October 7 attack on Israel sparked the ongoing conflict in Gaza. However, fears of a full-scale war have escalated after an Israeli strike last week in Beirut’s southern suburbs killed Hezbollah’s top military commander, followed by the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which has been attributed to Israel.
Iran and Hezbollah have vowed to retaliate.
In separate statements on Friday, Hezbollah confirmed that two of its fighters were “martyred on the road to Jerusalem,” a phrase the group uses to describe those killed by Israeli attacks. A source close to Hezbollah, speaking anonymously, confirmed the fighters were killed in an Israeli strike in Naqura.
The Israeli army reported that its air forces “eliminated” two Hezbollah operatives after identifying them exiting a military structure belonging to the group in the Naqura area.
Meanwhile, residents and local journalists in southern Lebanon shared footage of Israeli drones flying over the village of Kunin, broadcasting messages in Arabic blaming the cross-border violence on Hezbollah and its leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Similar messages were reported in Bint Jbeil on Thursday evening.
The source close to Hezbollah told AFP that the videos were authentic and described the broadcasts as “incitement” against the group.
