Israel launched air strikes on eastern Lebanon early on Sunday, hitting what it said were Hezbollah infrastructure sites after the armed group downed an Israeli drone over the country as both sides continue to trade fire amid escalating regional tensions, Reuters reported.
The Israeli army said in a statement that fighter jets struck a military complex and three other infrastructure sites belonging to Hezbollah in the eastern city of Baalbek.
It said the latest attack was in response to Iran-backed Hezbollah’s downing of an unmanned aerial vehicle in Lebanese airspace, which the group identified as the Israeli-made Hermes 900 drone.
Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israel across Lebanon’s southern border since Oct. 8, a day after the Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack on Israel.
Israel responded with bombardment and invasion of Gaza killing around 33,000 Palestinians, leading to intervention by Hezbollah and, in Yemen, the Houthis who launched a blockade of the Red Sea. In Syria and Iraq, Iran-backed militias have also launched drone attacks towards Israel.