Israel launches strikes on eastern Lebanon after Hezbollah downs drone

Israel launched air strikes on the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon early on Sunday, two Lebanese security sources told Reuters, a few hours after Hezbollah said it had downed an Israeli drone over Lebanon.

The sources said that the Israeli attack targeted a training camp belonging to Hezbollah in Janta village, near the border with Syria.

One of the strikes was aimed at the town of Safri, near the eastern city of Baalbek, the sources said, adding that no casualties were reported.

Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israel across Lebanon’s southern border since Oct. 8, a day after Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack on Israel that has led to escalating regional tensions.

The Iran-backed group claimed responsibility for downing an Israeli drone earlier on Saturday.

“The drone belonging to the Israeli army, which was shot down by the Islamic resistance fighters over Lebanese territory on the evening of Saturday, April 6, 2024, is of type Hermes 900,” Hezbollah said in a statement.

The Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said the drone crashed in Lebanese territory after being hit by a surface-to-air missile. The incident is under investigation, he added in a post on social media platform X.