Hezbollah Launches Retaliatory Strikes on Israeli Military Positions

The Lebanese resistance movement said in statements issued Friday that its forces had targeted Israeli troop gatherings across multiple locations in northern occupied territories with missiles and artillery.

"The Islamic Resistance's missile and air forces continue to target military bases and settlements deep within northern occupied Palestine, with increasing intensity each day," Hezbollah's statement read.

The resistance group emphasized that all of its military operations were being conducted under "high-level, comprehensive, and real-time coordination between the leadership of the resistance and the operations room, extending to the fighters stationed on the front lines."

Hezbollah also said it had successfully foiled several Israeli infiltration attempts into Lebanese territory.

Notably, Hezbollah’s statement highlighted that despite Israel's announced ground offensive in southern Lebanon, its forces had refrained from deploying tanks and military vehicles on the Lebanese side, opting instead for concealed positions to avoid Hezbollah’s fire.

"The Israeli enemy has, up to the time of this statement, failed to gain control over any of the strategic hills it is attempting to reach, settling for reaching some houses on the outskirts of a few border villages merely to take photos and organize media visits," Hezbollah stated.

The resistance group further said that Israel is using civilian homes in northern parts of occupied territories as gathering points for its soldiers, with military bases embedded within settlements in cities such as Haifa, Tiberias, and Acre. These locations, Hezbollah warned, had become targets for their missile and air forces.

"We, therefore, warn settlers to avoid these military gatherings for their safety until further notice," the statement added.

Earlier in the day, Hezbollah had also announced strikes against Israel’s occupied Golan Heights, Haifa, and Kiryat Shmona, framing these attacks as responses to Israeli bombardments of Lebanese towns and villages, and in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

In a parallel development, Hezbollah issued a warning to settlers in Israel, advising them to avoid military zones along the border with Lebanon and around the coastal city of Haifa, following an Israeli army advisory urging Lebanese civilians to stay clear of areas between the Lebanese-Israeli border and the coastal city of Tyre.

Lebanon's Health Ministry reported that since October 2023, Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed over 2,169 people, including dozens of children and women, and injured 10,099 others.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Beirut have fled their homes due to the escalating Israeli air raids, and Lebanese health officials have condemned Israel for targeting emergency rescuers and civilians indiscriminately.