"Terror targets"

Israel attacked eastern Lebanon for the first time

Smoke rises over Lebanese villages after an attack by the Israeli army. (symbolic image)(Bild: AFP)

According to insiders, Israel has also bombed eastern Lebanon for the first time since the start of the Gaza war. At least two members of Hezbollah were killed, two Lebanese insiders told the Reuters news agency on Monday. The attack took place near the city of Baalbek. According to security sources, the area was the target of at least two simultaneous Israeli attacks.

The Israeli military announced that it was currently attacking "Hezbollah terror targets deep in Lebanon". It did not provide any further details. No statement was initially available from Hezbollah.

The Iranian-backed Lebanese militia is allied with the militant Palestinian organization Hamas, against which Israel has been waging war in the Gaza Strip for five months. Since the beginning of the war following Hamas massacres in Israel, violence in the Israeli-Lebanese border region has also increased considerably. Israel had previously focused its attacks primarily on the border region in the south of Lebanon, but has also been attacking a little further north for several weeks. Monday's attack represents an expansion of the Israeli operation, said a Lebanese security representative.

Baalbek is located in the Bekaa Valley. The area is considered a stronghold of Hezbollah. It is an important transportation hub through which many agricultural transports pass. It is also home to famous Roman ruins.