Israel intercepts drones from Lebanon, continues ground campaign: army

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT -- The Israeli military said on Sunday that its Air Force in northern Israel's Western Galilee region has intercepted "numerous" explosive drones fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory.

The military stated in a release that it has also intercepted two surface-to-surface missiles launched from Lebanon towards the Carmel and Haifa areas in northern Israel, as well as most of the 25 rockets from Lebanon targeting Western Galilee.

The remaining rockets aimed at Western Galilee landed in open areas, with no injuries reported, it noted.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah claimed in a statement that it attacked a maintenance and rehabilitation base south of Haifa on Sunday afternoon with "a squadron of attack drones," accurately hitting its targets.

The militant group stated that the attack was carried out to support the Palestinian people in Gaza, defend Lebanon and its citizens, and respond to "the barbaric Israeli invasion of cities, villages, and civilians."

Also on Sunday, the Israeli military announced that its ground troops continued their campaign in southern Lebanon, accompanied by airstrikes from its Air Force, resulting in the deaths of 98 Hezbollah militants.

Israeli ground troops directed aerial strikes at Hezbollah's infrastructure and weapons storage facilities, while Israeli warplanes struck about 150 Hezbollah targets, including anti-tank missile launch posts, command centers, underground infrastructure, and additional weapons storage sites.

Lebanon's National News Agency reported Sunday that the wreckage of a drone belonging to the Israeli Air Force was found in a mountainous area on the outskirts of Bakka village in eastern Lebanon's Rashaya al-Wadi district, with Lebanese authorities investigating the incident. Local security sources informed Xinhua that the drone was an Israeli Hermes 900.

Since Sept 23, the Israeli army has intensified its airstrikes against Hezbollah across Lebanon, resulting in at least 2,000 deaths and the displacement of residents from many areas, according to Lebanese authorities. The airstrikes have also targeted and killed key Hezbollah leaders, including the group's secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah.

Additionally, Israel has launched what it describes as a "limited" ground operation in Lebanon. These escalations have exacerbated ongoing clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, which began on Oct 8, 2023, when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in support of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, prompting retaliatory fire and airstrikes by Israel in southeastern Lebanon.