At least two people were killed on Friday when Israeli drones carried out an attack on a team of maintenance workers in southern Lebanon’s Tayr Harfa. Several other civilians were also reported wounded in the attacks.
The attack targeted maintenance workers who were repairing telecommunications systems, killing one. A subsequent drone attacked killed a rescue worker with Islamic Risala Scout Association, a group of rescuers aligned with Hezbollah.
The two killed were identified as maintenance worker Youssef Fadi Jalloul and 53-year-old rescuer Ghaleb al-Hajj. The exact state of the wounded is unclear, but they were taken to the local hospital.
Hezbollah responded to the attack by firing 35 rockets at the city of Kiryat Shmona, doing substantial property damage and causing extensive brush fires on the nearby hillside. Israeli firemen were still struggling with these in the evening.
Israel reported that around 15 of the 35 rockets were downed by Iron Dome, though the rest damaged dozens of homes in the city and set off multiple fires.
Hezbollah further reported that it had fired on, and hit, the Khirbet Maar military base near Kiryat Shmona. The Israeli military did not address this or disclose what damage or casualties may have been inflicted.
Israel responded to the Hezbollah fire with a flurry of airstrikes across Southern Lebanon. Several towns were hit, and buildings, putatively “Hezbollah locations,” were destroyed.
Israel’s military is also conducting exercises in Galilee, in northern Israel, to simulate combat situations in Lebanon. Officials are preparing for what is termed a “major war” against Lebanon.
Israel is like the Romulans,
“They claim all that is within their field of vision.” – Worf