Israel launches strikes on eastern Lebanon after Hezbollah downs drone

FILE PHOTO: Israeli soldiers stand by, as a mobile artillery unit fires on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border Dec 2, 2023. REUTERS/Gil Eliyahu/File Photo

Israel launched air strikes on eastern Lebanon early on Sunday, hitting what it said were Hezbollah infrastructure sites after the armed group downed an Israeli drone over the country as both sides continue to trade fire amid escalating regional tensions.

The Israeli army said in a statement that fighter jets struck a military complex and three other infrastructure sites belonging to Hezbollah in the eastern city of Baalbek.

It said the latest attack was in response to Iran-backed Hezbollah's downing of an unmanned aerial vehicle in Lebanese airspace, which the group identified as the Israeli-made Hermes 900 drone.

Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israel across Lebanon's southern border since Oct. 8, a day after the Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack on Israel that sparked Israel's war in Gaza and led to escalating regional tensions.

Israeli shelling has killed around 270 Hezbollah fighters and around 50 civilians. In southern Lebanon some 90,000 people have also been displaced, while more than 96,000 Israelis have been displaced from the country's northern border area.

The US and other countries have sought a diplomatic resolution to the exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel. Hezbollah said it would not halt fire before a ceasefire is implemented in Gaza.

Two security sources said the latest Israeli attack on Lebanon targeted a training camp belonging to Hezbollah in Janta village near the border with Syria and the town of Safri near Baalbek.

There were no reported casualties from the strikes, the sources said.