Tel Aviv, Israel – The Lebanese arena witnessed a dangerous military escalation on Thursday, with the Israeli army announcing casualties among its soldiers as a result of attacks carried out by Hezbollah using drones. Simultaneously, Israeli aircraft intensified their raids on various areas in southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut. These raids resulted in deaths and injuries.
Israeli losses and drone attacks
The Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that four soldiers were wounded in a drone attack launched by Hezbollah targeting a military gathering. He explained that air defenses attempted to intercept a “suspected aerial target” launched from Lebanese territory.
For its part, the official Israeli radio station raised the casualty figures, confirming that seven soldiers were wounded in the past 24 hours as a result of a series of drone attacks targeting army positions and gatherings in the border area.
Bloody raids and assassinations of leaders
On the Lebanese side, the National News Agency reported a rise in the death toll, with an Israeli airstrike targeting a car in the town of Haboush killing two people. Heavy artillery and airstrikes also hit the towns of Deir Zahrani, Kfour, Ghandouriyeh, Srifa, and Frun, as well as Burj Qalawiya, causing widespread property damage.
In a significant strategic development, Israeli media confirmed that the Israeli army carried out an assassination targeting Malik Ballout, described as the commander of the Radwan Unit (Hezbollah’s elite force). This was done in an airstrike targeting the Haret Hreik area in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday evening.
Israeli military assessments indicated that his deputy may also have been killed in the same strike, which targeted a residential building.
Breaking the calm in the suburb
The raid on the southern suburbs of Beirut is of exceptional significance, being the first to target this stronghold since the ceasefire agreement came into effect on April 16.
This attack represents a shift in the rules of engagement on the ground. The Israeli army described the operation as a “preemptive strike” against elite commanders, while Hezbollah’s response with drone strikes signals a new phase of escalating tensions. This threatens the stability of the entire border region.
