Hezbollah fires anti-tank missiles at IDF base, vehicles in north
IDF returns fire as Lebanese terror group claims to have destroyed army vehicle; IDF tells local residents to enter protected spaces, instructs municipalities near along border to open bomb shelters; incident comes day after Nasrallah vowed response to Beirut drone attack attributed to Israel
Anti-tank missiles were fired at an Israel Defense Forces base and at several military vehicles from Lebanon on Sunday afternoon, the IDF said, warning local residents to remain in their protected areas.
The Lebanese-based terror group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attacks in the area of Avivim.
The military reported a "number of hits" by anti-tank missiles fired at an army base and military vehicles near the Lebanese border in the northern. It said it was responding with fire toward "the sources of fire and targets in southern Lebanon."
Hezbollah said that it had destroyed an IDF vehicle in the strikes. Local residents reported hearing explosions and the IDF instructed all communities with 4km of the Lebanese border to open their bomb shelters.
The incident occurred amid increasing tensions between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah organization, which last week accused the IDF of sending two drones is said crashed in its stronghold in Beirut.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Saturday that the incident would not go unanswered and warned that all options were open to counter Israeli drones violating Lebanon's sovereignty.
Drones like the ones used in the Beirut attack last weekend "open the door to assassinations" if left unanswered, he said. "This matter will not be tolerated ... Israel must pay the price."
Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes and helicopter were seen Sunday making their way to the country’s northern border. Concrete roadblocks were also put up in some areas of the north.
Israel has accused Iran of stepping up efforts to provide Hezbollah with precision-guided missile production facilities, a warning to Beirut that Israeli counter-strikes could escalate.
Israel's army said Saturday that in the past week its "ground forces, air, navy and intelligence forces improved their preparedness for various scenarios in the northern command area."
It posted on Twitter footage of tanks and ground forces being deployed.
Without claiming responsibility for the drone attack, the Israeli military has published what it said were details about the Iranian campaign to boost Hezbollah's missile capabilities.
