BEIRUT: The Israeli army on Thursday ignited fires across orchards and forests on the Lebanese border using internationally banned incendiary weapons.
Hezbollah carried out an aerial attack in response, using drones to target the new headquarters of the artillery battalion of Israel’s 146th division.
The strike, south of Kabri, “achieved a direct hit” and led to deaths and injuries on the Israeli side, Hezbollah said.
The group also targeted Israeli soldiers near Hanita, claiming in a statement that the attack left “one dead and two wounded.”
Hezbollah’s drone strikes had “very harsh consequences” for their intended targets, Israel’s Channel 13 said.
In a statement, the Israeli army said: “Following warning sirens that were activated in the Upper Galilee region in the morning, drones were observed crossing the Lebanese territory and landing in the Upper Galilee area.”
Air defense systems intercepted several targets heading toward Israel, the army added.
Meanwhile, Israeli phosphorus artillery targeted Mays Al-Jabal, and the remains of an interceptor missile fell on the roof of an inhabited home in Shaqra.
The shelling of Naqoura and Alma Al-Shaab resulted in fires erupting in forests and olive groves. Lebanese civil defense teams worked to extinguish the blazes.
Israeli heavy artillery pounded several border areas — Houla, Wadi Al-Saluki, Aitaroun, Naqoura, Alma Al-Shaab and Dhayra — some of which have been frequent targets since clashes began nine months ago.
Israeli jets violated the southern Lebanese airspace, flying at very low altitudes.
The Progressive Socialist Party on Thursday called for urgent action in response to a reported Israeli interception of phone calls in Lebanon.
The Lebanese An-Nahar newspaper had reported the breach, which saw Israel accessing data, such as phone calls, through the submarine cable that connects Lebanon to Cyprus.
The party questioned Lebanon’s 2022 approval of the CADMOS-2 cable, which is linked to the Israeli cable Ariel connecting Haifa and Tel Aviv to Cyprus.
Lebanon had “failed to take any precautionary measures to prevent such a major breach,” the party warned.
In response, Hezbollah said it urged members to avoid phone calls and internet usage, and to disconnect surveillance cameras across the south.
The directive follows the assassinations of high-ranking Hezbollah members.
“We are not on the verge of any full-scale or open war. Neither the Israelis nor the Lebanese want that. Even the regional and international powers do not want that,” said Hezbollah MP Ibrahim Moussaoui.
Moussaoui told CNN: “Since the beginning of the hostilities, we set a modus operandi under which any escalation provoked by the Israeli enemy will be faced by an escalation of the same intensity if not more.
“This is how things are going around so far. However, I do not believe a full-scale war favors any party.”
In his speech on Wednesday evening, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah referred to the ceasefire negotiations in Doha between Hamas and Israel, with Egypt, Qatar and the US present.
Nasrallah said that his movement would accept any Hamas decision on Gaza truce negotiations, adding that Hezbollah would end its cross-border attacks on Israel if a ceasefire were reached.
“Whatever Hamas accepts, everyone accepts and is satisfied with,” he said.
“This is our commitment as a support front. We have been clear about this from the beginning, and it should go without saying.
“Our brothers in Hamas know better. We are not asking anyone to listen to our opinion. We stand by their side and support them in any position or decision they take until the end.”
A political observer described Nasrallah’s announcement as “a position that tends toward de-escalation and meets the ongoing negotiations held in Doha.”
They added: “Iran is not far from taking the same position.”
Meanwhile, Israeli officials ramped up their threats against Hezbollah, warning of the possibility of a two-front war.
During his tour of Galilee, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said: “We must be able to confront two fronts simultaneously, and we should realize that these wars are going to last long.”
He added: “Iran is closer than ever to obtaining nuclear weapons. We may face repeated confrontations with Iran.”