Israel strikes Hezbollah stronghold in eastern Lebanon

Israel conducted an airstrike on Baalbek, Hezbollah's stronghold in eastern Lebanon, early Sunday, injuring at least three fighters, as reported by a local official.

The airstrike near Baalbek comes amidst a recent surge in attacks targeting the area. According to Baalbek’s mayor, Bachir Khodr, the strike occurred shortly after midnight, resulting in casualties, Iran International reports.

"It was a terrifying moment. The strike wounded three people," Mayor Khodr stated, sharing the news on social media platform X.

In response to the Baalbek airstrike, Hezbollah retaliated by targeting an Israeli missile and artillery base in Yoav, along with the Kaila barracks, using over 60 Katyusha rockets, as stated in their official communication.

The precise target of the airstrike remains unclear. However, the incident follows Hezbollah's claim of launching two explosive-laden drones targeting an Israeli Iron Dome missile defence system in Kfar Blum, northern Israel. Since October's Hamas invasion of Israel in the south, Hezbollah has fired over 3,000 projectiles into northern Israel in support of fellow Iran-backed proxy Hamas.

The Israeli military claimed the strike targeted a Hezbollah workshop. Subsequently, around 50 rockets were fired from Lebanon towards Israel, with some intercepted and others landing in uninhabited areas, the military reported. Over 100,000 Israelis have been displaced in northern Israel since October amid the worst tensions since the second Lebanon war.

Meanwhile, Syrian media reported explosions rocked the Damascus capital region, with some sources alleging an "Israeli attack" near the Qalamoun Mountains.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a war-monitoring group associated with the opposition, stated that the explosions occurred simultaneously with the activation of air defence systems. Additional accounts suggested that the targeted area held strategic significance, serving as smuggling routes and storage facilities for weapons used by Iranian military forces.