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Israel launched air strikes near the north-eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek, targeting what it said were Hizbollah sites in the second attack by Israeli forces deep inside Lebanon in two weeks.
The strikes late on Monday killed at least one person and wounded several others, said Bashir Khader, the governor of Baalbek.
The Israel Defense Forces said its war planes targeted sites used by Iranian-backed Hizbollah’s “aerial forces that planned and carried out various attacks” against Israel.
It said the strikes were in retaliation for Hizbollah attacks launched towards the occupied Golan Heights, as almost daily clashes between Israeli forces and the Lebanese militant group have intensified.
Israel and Hizbollah have engaged in tit-for-tat attacks since Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel responded by declaring war on Hamas and launching a retaliatory offensive against the Palestinian militant group in Gaza that has killed more than 30,000 people, according to health officials in the enclave.
The war has triggered a wave of hostilities across the Middle East. The clashes between Israeli forces and Hizbollah have mostly focused on the border areas in Lebanon and Israel.
But in recent weeks, Israel has expanded its targets, striking the Lebanese town of Ghaziyeh, about 5km south of the coastal city of Sidon, as well as Jadra, a city just 30km south of the capital Beirut, and locations near Baalbek.
The hostilities have forced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border from their homes and raised mounting concerns about the risks of a provocation or miscalculation by either party sparking a full-blown conflict.
The fighting has killed more than 200 people in Lebanon, most of them Hizbollah fighters.
At least seven Israeli civilians and 11 soldiers have been killed by Hizbollah fire since October, according to the Israeli military.
Hizbollah, which is the dominant political and military force in Lebanon, fought a month-long war with Israel in 2006 and is one of the world’s most heavily armed non-state actors.
The US is leading diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the hostilities, but those efforts have struggled to make progress as the war in Gaza continues.
Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has said his group would not stop its attacks on Israel until a complete ceasefire had been agreed in Gaza.
Israeli officials have insisted that Hizbollah fighters had to withdraw from the border region to allow some 80,000 displaced people to return to their homes in northern Israel.
They have said Israel is committed to the diplomatic process, but also warned that the Jewish state would use force if necessary against Hizbollah.
After meeting US envoy Amos Hochstein last week, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said “Hizbollah’s aggression is bringing us closer to a critical point in the decision-making regarding our military activities in Lebanon”.
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