Hezbollah retaliates by shelling Kiryat Shmona after Israeli airstrike kills two in Lebanon

Hezbollah launched a series of rocket attacks from Lebanon into Israel on Saturday in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike that reportedly killed two civilians in southern Lebanon, as tensions along the border have been escalating following frequent exchanges of fire since early October.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the airstrike targeted two Hezbollah members. In retaliation, Hezbollah fired multiple rockets at the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, injuring four Israeli soldiers, one seriously, though most of the rockets were intercepted by air defense systems.

Following the rocket attack, Israeli warplanes attacked a Hezbollah field commander near Kfar Tebnit in southern Lebanon. This resulted in further casualties, with the Lebanese National News Agency reporting that an Israeli drone struck a car in the same area, causing casualties.

Throughout Saturday, Hezbollah carried out further attacks on Israeli military positions along the border. A Lebanese security source said Israel’s first airstrike in the Deir Mimas area killed two civilians who were collecting water, one of whom was affiliated with Hezbollah and the other with its ally, the Amal Movement, although both were described as civilians.

Hezbollah claims its rocket attacks are a direct response to Israeli aggression be opposed to Lebanese villages and civilians. Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, triggering a wider conflict in the Gaza Strip, the conflict on the Lebanese-Israeli border has intensified.

Local reports confirmed that two people died while fetching water for their livestock, including a member of the Amal Movement’s board of directors. The Amal Movement acknowledged the death of one of its members.

Cross-border violence has taken a heavy toll since October, with more than 500 people killed in Lebanon, including fighters and more than 90 civilians, and at least 29 in Israel, mostly soldiers. The ongoing hostilities have heightened fears of a larger conflict reminiscent of the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.