Shafaq News- Beirut

The Israeli army on Friday continued ground operations in southern Lebanon, reporting the seizure of weapons from civilian sites, while Hezbollah launched a new wave of attacks targeting Israeli forces and positions along the border.

On X, the army claimed that troops from the 401st Brigade killed a Hezbollah member during close combat after he emerged from a tunnel, later uncovering its entrance along with maps, weapons, and ammunition. In a separate operation, Shayetet 13 commandos and Givati Brigade forces raided a school in Khiam, where they located anti-tank missiles, mortars, grenades, mines, and detonation equipment.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, announced multiple operations across the southern front, including a guided missile strike on an Israeli unit in Bayyada, close-range engagements near Shamaa, and attacks on armored vehicles, including a Merkava tank targeted by drone. The group also launched rockets toward Nahariya and Beit Hillel, alongside drone strikes on military sites north of Lake Tiberias, while shelling troop positions and vehicles in Bayyada and carrying out strikes in Qantara and Dibl.

Lebanese media reported continued Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire across southern Lebanon and the Beqaa, hitting several towns and areas, with reports indicating the use of phosphorus and smoke munitions in the western sector. Strikes in the Beqaa included an attack in Bazaliyeh that destroyed a house, killing one person and injuring two others, while raids in Zawtar al-Sharqiya killed two and caused extensive damage. A drone strike was reported near a school in Maifadoun, and in Saida district, attacks in Saksakiyeh and Tahwitat al-Ghadir resulted in multiple casualties.

Since hostilities resumed on March 2, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,116 people and injured 3,229 others, including 121 children and 83 women among the dead, and 399 children and 454 women among the wounded, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.