The Israeli Air Force attacks in Baalbek, Lebanon
In an escalation on the northern border, the IDF intercepted a surface-to-air missile launched by Hezbollah after Hezbollah intercepted a large Israeli drone, and then the IDF attacked for the first time in the war deep inside Lebanon. An official statement from the IDF said that fighter jets attacked sites near the Lebanese city of Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley that were used by Hezbollah's Aerial Defense Array, in response to the downing of the UAV.
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At least two people were killed in the strikes, a Hezbollah official said, according to the Associated Press.
The strikes are the deepest into Lebanon since the start of Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza and come a day after Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed to step up attacks on Lebanon’s Hezbollah even if a cease-fire is reached with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In the Alon Tabor industrial area in the Jezreel Valley, a rocket alert alarm was sounded at 8:43 a.m., and immediately after that parts of an interception fell near a synagogue in Kfar Tabor. About three hours later, the IDF announced that it had begun attacking Hezbollah targets deep in Lebanon. At around noon, sirens were heard in communities in the Upper Galilee, and a man was slightly injured by shrapnel.
In Baalbek, about 100 km north of Metula on the border with Lebanon, three Hezbollah targets were attacked. Lebanese security officials said that Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out three strikes near the village of Buday, a Hezbollah stronghold. As a result, Hezbollah gas stations, warehouses and centers were evacuated.
The downing of the Israeli UAV over Lebanon
According to reports, at least two Hezbollah operatives were killed and others were injured. The Lebanese member of parliament, Kassem Hachem, accused Israel of attempting to foment a regional war. He said that "what we saw today is a dangerous development that confirms the enemy's intentions to expand its aggression and drag the region into something more inclusive. All options are open."
A little later, as mentioned, alarms were heard in the Upper Galilee, including in Shatula, and a man was slightly injured. "The missile hit Dad's chicken coop while he was in it, and he was injured by shrapnel. I talked to him and he is fine," according to his daughter.
Intercepted missile parts fall on Kfar Tabor
The alarm in Alon Tabor was triggered following the launch of David's Sling air defense system toward a surface-to-air missile. The same Hezbollah missile, which was intercepted by David's Sling, was launched at a remote unmanned aircraft operating in the skies of Lebanon. The IDF confirmed that shortly after the interception of the missile, another missile was launched at the Israeli UAV and hit it. The aircraft fell in Lebanese territory.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for downing the UAV, and claimed that it was a Hermes-450. It is one of the Air Force's largest UAVs, which is designed for a prolonged stay in the air and for attack, reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions. Hezbollah claimed to have shot down a Hermes 450 some three months ago.
In Tabor, residents were amazed at the sight of the interception and the parts that fell in village. "Who would have thought that there would be interceptions over the most pastoral settlement in Israel," said Hillel Hillman. "We woke up this morning to a new reality. On October 7, we had one alarm and since then everything has been quiet and calm.