Israeli officials reported two Hezbollah members were killed in an airstrike near the southern Lebanon on Friday in the area of Naqoura, not far from the Israel-Lebanon border. The attack was on a compound believed to belong to Hezbollah.
Hezbollah did not confirm the details of this strike nor on any other Israeli strike in southern Lebanon. The organization did issue a statement saying three members of their movement were killed, but not identifying where or when they were slain.
In addition to Naqoura, the Israeli Air Force reported attacks against Hamaam, Ayta ash-Shab, Mehabib, Markaba, and the town of Kfar Kela, also in southern Lebanon. They reported all of these were attacks against Hezbollah “infrastructure.”
Hezbollah responded by firing around 30 rockets at the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona. Israel reported that most of the rocket fire hit open areas, and one hit a building. There were no injuries reported, according to officials.
Israeli media made much of the fact that air raid sirens did not sound off in Kiryat Shmona during the attack. Officials say they are looking into why that happened. Israeli Home Front Command is also preparing a tent city with anticipation of a war with Hezbollah.
With war looming, analysts are warning Israel it is not prepared for the rise in Hezbollah’s drone arsenal. They caution Israel’s investment has been insufficient, as drones have proven capable of striking deeper into Israeli territory than the Katyusha rockets that have historically been used in the on-again, off-again war.