The Israeli army announced, on Sunday, that it had begun launching raids on southern Lebanon in response to Hezbollah launching two drones at its soldiers in the “security zone,” warning residents of buildings in the town of Arabsalim of the need to evacuate them, while the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that 4 people were killed as a result of the raids.
The army said, in a statement: “Terrorists from the Hezbollah organization (...) launched two suicide drones towards the IDF forces that control the security zone in southern Lebanon.” There were no casualties among the Israeli army, according to the statement.
He added, according to Agence France-Presse: “The IDF is currently attacking southern Lebanon in response.”
For its part, the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced today (Sunday) the killing of 4 people, including two women, and the wounding of 20 others in Israeli raids on southern Lebanon.
In another statement, the Israeli army warned residents of a building in the town of Arabsalim, in addition to buildings adjacent to it, to evacuate, saying that it was located close to a “Hezbollah facility.”
Israel continues to occupy large areas in southern Lebanon, where it announced the establishment of a “security zone” up to 10 kilometers deep along its borders, and continues to carry out massive strikes, demolitions and bombing operations.
On Friday, 4 people were killed and 32 others were injured, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, in raids that Israel said hit Hezbollah targets.
The war in the Middle East spread to Lebanon as of March 2, after Hezbollah, an ally of Tehran, launched missiles at Israel in response to the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the US-Israeli raids on Iran on February 28.
Israel has been locked in a confrontation with Hezbollah since 2023, after the party opened a “support front” for Gaza and its ally, Hamas, shortly after the outbreak of war in the Strip. Since October 8, 2023, Israeli strikes have resulted in more than 8,920 deaths, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
The Houthi attack on the fronts of the West Coast, southern Hodeidah, and western Taiz began to rebound against the group on the third day of the widespread ground escalation, with the Yemeni government forces moving to the counterattack and achieving field progress in more than one axis, coinciding with military aircraft and drones entering the battle and targeting Houthi sites, reinforcements, and supply lines.
The Yemeni armed forces achieved progress on the Al-Jarahi, Haifan, and Jabal Habashi fronts, and took control of sites and hills of field importance. They also thwarted infiltration attempts and other attacks, at a time when the naval forces announced the destruction of two booby-trapped boats south of Al-Khawkhah on the Red Sea.
This transformation comes after a massive Houthi attack during which the group attempted to make breakthroughs in the areas south of Hodeidah and west of Taiz, amid information about large human and material losses among its ranks.
The repercussions of the battles reveal a worsening human crisis within the group, as medical sources in Sanaa say that hospitals, morgues and intensive care rooms are facing unprecedented pressure, with the Houthis stressing secrecy about the numbers of dead and wounded.
At the same time, the group is expanding recruitment operations in schools and luring high school students through events and training courses, in an attempt to compensate for the human bleeding, while government forces seek to exploit the counter-attack to protect Taiz and its corridor towards Mokha and secure the road to Bab al-Mandab.
