Shafaq News- Beirut (Updated at 18:01)

Hezbollah announced on Tuesday that it downed an Israeli drone over the Lebanese city of Nabatieh at 12:30 p.m. local time amid escalating cross-border fighting.

In a statement, the group reported that its fighters intercepted the unmanned aircraft with “appropriate weapons,” framing the action as “a response to Israeli strikes on multiple Lebanese areas, including Beirut’s southern suburbs.”

The group later said it also targeted an Israeli Merkava tank at the al-Samaqa site in the occupied Kfar Shouba Hills, and another at Tal al-Nahas on the outskirts of the town of Kfar Kila, claiming a direct hit.

Earlier, Hezbollah launched rockets targeting the Maayan Baruch site in the Upper Galilee, describing the strike as “retaliation” for attacks on Lebanese territory.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported at least 40 fatalities and 246 injuries from Israeli strikes since Monday.