The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has shared footage which they say represents a strike on a Hezbollah terrorist cell.
The brief black and white clip seemingly shows a missile falling on a building, quickly reduced to rubble.
After the blast, thick smoke rises from the site, while debris hits the nearby area.
Speaking about the strike, the IDF said the military action targeted a “terrorist cell operating in the area of Shtula” – a moshav located in northern Israel, near the Lebanese border.
A post shared by the IDF on the messaging app Telegram read: “Earlier today, a terrorist cell operating in the area of Shtula attempted to launch an anti-tank missile at Israeli territory. IDF soldiers struck the terrorist cell. In addition, IDF tanks struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon.
“In addition, following the sirens sounding in northern Israel, launches were identified from Lebanon toward the area of Yiftah and Margaliot in northern Israel, that fell in open areas. No injuries were reported. The IDF struck the sources of the fire.”
IDF artillery, the message added, also “struck a number of areas in Lebanon”.
Iran-back Hezbollah militants based in southern Lebanon have been regularly exchanging fire with the IDF since the war between Tel Aviv and the Iran-proxy group in 2006.
Hezbollah, which like Hamas is deemed a terror organisation in the UK, doesn’t recognise the legitimacy of Israel and ramped up its aggressions on the southern Lebanon border following the harrowing attack launched by the Palestinian group on October 7.
Initially, the skirmishes between Hezbollah – a proscribed terror group in the UK – and the Israeli military were limited to military targets at first, but escalated as the war continued to threaten also civilians.
Some 80,000 Israelis living close to their nation’s northern border have been evacuated in recent weeks as a consequence.
Earlier this month, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told mayors and local leaders of the towns affected by the evacuations that Tel Aviv hopes to drive back the militants beyond the Litani River, in accordance with the UN Resolution 1701.
Mr Gallant added that he is hoping to achieve this through diplomacy but, should it fail, the government would “act with all the means at its disposal”, hinting launching a wider military operation against Hezbollah was not off the table.
While some IDF troops are busy with Hezbollah in northern Israel, the majority of the troops are fighting in Gaza, as the war against Hamas continues.
