Hezbollah Warns of Retribution as Israeli Strike Claims Lives of 3 Children in Lebanon

Israeli Strike in Lebanon Kills Three Children and Grandmother, Hezbollah Responds with Rocket Attack on Israel

An Israeli airstrike on a car in southern Lebanon resulted in the deaths of three children and their grandmother, according to Lebanese authorities. In response, the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah fired a barrage of grad rockets at the town of Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel. This marks the first time that Hezbollah has announced the use of this particular weapon during the four weeks of clashes with Israeli forces, highlighting the potential for escalation.

Hezbollah stated that it will not tolerate attacks on civilians and promised a “firm and strong” response. Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told Reuters that the enemy will pay for its crimes against civilians.

On the Israeli side, the military stated that its troops targeted a vehicle suspected of transporting terrorists in Lebanon. However, they are looking into reports that there were civilians inside the car. Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the incident as a “heinous crime,” while Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib announced that Lebanon would submit a complaint to the United Nations over the killing of civilians, including children.

Footage aired by al-Mayadeen television showed rescue workers removing one of the casualties from the burned wreckage of the car. According to a report from the Lebanese security forces, the children were killed when Israel targeted the car they were in as it traveled between the villages of Aynata and Aitaroun. The children’s grandmother also lost her life, and their mother sustained injuries.

The exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah has been ongoing since the conflict between Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel began on October 7. It represents the most intense violence along the border since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

In another development, the Israeli military reported that its air defenses intercepted a drone flying towards Israel from Lebanon while it was still over Lebanese territory. Additionally, an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon hit the Yiftah area of northern Israel. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for several attacks on Israeli positions at the border, using guided missiles and other weapons.

Lebanon’s state-owned National News Agency reported that Hezbollah shot down a hostile drone over south Lebanon, with wreckage falling over the villages of Zebdine and Harouf, located 30 km (20 miles) from the border. However, Hezbollah has not commented on this report.

This recent escalation has also witnessed Hezbollah’s first-time use of anti-aircraft missiles. In a separate incident near the border, a scout troop affiliated with Lebanon’s Amal Movement, an ally of Hezbollah, reported that four of its paramedics were wounded in an Israeli drone strike. The Islamic Al-Risala Scout Association stated that the drone directly hit two cars while rescuers were evacuating people from a house that had been struck in a previous Israeli attack near the village of Tayr Harfa.

The situation remains tense, with both sides engaging in retaliatory actions. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Amman, emphasizing the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the cessation of Israeli aggression in southern Lebanon.

Reporting by Laila Bassam and Tom Perry in Beirut, Maytaal Angel and Emily Rose in Jerusalem; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Conor Humphries, Giles Elgood, and Aurora Ellis.