In the latest cross-border exchange, Israel has struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, according to the Israel Defence Forces. 

This morning, air raid sirens sounded in northern Israel and it was thought a “hostile aircraft” belonging to the group had crossed the border – but this was later flagged as a false alarm. 

The IDF conducted strikes in Lebanon nevertheless. 

“IDF fighter jets struck a Hezbollah military compound in the area of Bint Jbeil and a Hezbollah observation post in the area of Markaba,” an IDF statement read. 

“In addition, yesterday, IDF fighter jets struck a military command center and military site in Lebanon used by Hezbollah’s aerial defence unit,” it added. 

For context: Iran-backed, Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which means “Party of God” in Arabic, openly calls for the destruction of the “Zionist regime in Palestine” and is deemed a terror organisation by most Western powers.

The militia has long aligned itself with Hamas and Islamic Jihad and has frequently clashed with IDF forces on the Israel-Lebanon border since the most recent conflict broke out on 7 October.

But the violence has largely been contained to areas at the border, shaped by what observers have called unwritten rules of engagement between adversaries that have long threatened each other with catastrophic damage in the event of war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously warned that Beirut would be turned “into Gaza” if Hezbollah started an all-out war.

Number of Palestinians killed in Gaza passes 28,000 – health ministry

The Hamas-run health ministry says at least 28,064 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since 7 October.

A further 67,611 have been injured, it added.

The figures reported by the ministry do not differentiate between fighters and civilians.

Israel disputes all figures from the ministry, arguing that Hamas is inflating them in order to create the illusion of a humanitarian crisis.

Hamas denies this and accuses Israel of deliberately targeting civilians.