Jerusalem

Israel on Thursday (Sep 19) bombed specific locations in southern Lebanon in overnight attacks, and the Israeli military later said that it struck six Hezbollah "terrorist infrastructure sites" and a weapons storage facility. 

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The air strikes hit Hezbollah targets in Chihine, Tayibe, Blida, Meiss El Jabal, Aitaroun and Kfarkela in southern Lebanon, as well as a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the area of Khiam, the military said.

Israeli media reported that a number of Israeli civilians had been wounded by anti-tank missile fire from Lebanon, but there was no official confirmation.

Earlier, Israel said that it thwarted an Iran-backed assassination plot targeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior leaders. The bombing comes just a day after radio devices used by the Iran-backed group Hezbollah exploded, leading to Lebanon's deadliest day since cross-border fighting started nearly a year ago, in parallel with Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. 

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Israel-Hezbollah tensions rise

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have escalated dramatically, with the conflict between the two entities edging closer to a full-scale war following the sophisticated booby-trap attacks on Hezbollah's communication networks in southern Lebanon. Such a war, as per Reuters, was last fought 18 years ago.

Also read | What is Israel's Unit 8200? Secretive cyber warfare arm linked to Hezbollah pager attacks

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On Wednesday (Sep 18), Hezbollah's pagers, used to evade surveillance, detonated in a series of explosions, killing 12 people and injuring nearly 3,000. 

While Israel hasn't commented directly on the attacks, reports suggest Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, was responsible. 

Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon were bombarded by Israeli jets and artillery during the night. The army confirmed successful air strikes on Hezbollah targets in multiple locations in southern Lebanon, including Chihine, Tayibe, Blida, Meiss El Jabal, Aitaroun, and Kfarkela, as well as a weapons storage facility near Khiam.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, launched anti-tank missiles into Israel, most of which were intercepted. A number of civilians were wounded.

Also read | Lebanon explosions: Japanese firm says devices used in recent blasts discontinued around 10 years ago

Netanyahu murder plot

This comes as on Thursday, Israeli security services announced the discovery of an Iranian-backed assassination attempt on PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the arrest of an Israeli businessman who had attended meetings in Iran.

(With inputs from agencies)