Lebanon's Hezbollah launched 'explosive drones' at Israeli army positions in major attack

Lebanon's Hezbollah launched a big rocket and drone attack at Israel on Thursday (Jul 4), with Israel claiming that a reservist officer was killed in the Golan Heights.

The major rocket and drone attack on northern Israel by the militant Iran-backed group was apparently in response to the killing of a senior commander a day earlier.

The cross-border conflict between Hezbollah and Israel started after the Gaza war. It has been escalating since and getting worse for months, amidfears of a full-scale war.

Hezbollah, in a statement, said it launched "explosive drones" at eight Israeli military positions"as part of the response to the attack and the assassination carried out by the enemy" in southern Lebanon's Tyre area on Wednesday.

The group further added that its fighters "carried out an aerial attack with a squadron of explosive drones" targeting Israeli bases across the border area including in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that the Iron Dome took down several of the missiles and fighter jets. It added that ground-based air defence systems intercepted the majority of the drones.

In a report, the Times of Israel reported that the soldier who died was hit by one of the rockets that struck the Golan Heights. The report revealed his identity as Maj. (res.) Itay Galea, 38, a deputy company commander in the Yiftah Reserve Armored Brigade's 8679th unit, from Ramat Gan.

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Israel's retaliation

In retaliation, the IDF said it was carrying out waves of airstrikes in southern Lebanon that comprised some 200 rockets and 20 explosive-laden drones.

The Israeli military said on Thursday that it hit targets in south Lebanon. In a statement, the military said that Israeli forces were "striking launch posts in southern Lebanon" after "numerous projectiles and suspicious aerial targets crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory".

Most were intercepted and "fires broke out in a number of areas in northern Israel", it added.

(With inputs from agencies)