Israeli Drone Strike in Syria and Hezbollah Rocket Response
An Israeli drone strike in Syria on Tuesday led to Hezbollah responding with rocket fire into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Lebanese militant group stated that the attack was in retaliation for an “assassination” in Syria earlier that day. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that two Hezbollah members were killed in the Israeli drone strike near the Lebanese border, with a Syrian national driver also injured.
Hezbollah targeted an Israeli military base, prompting fears of escalating tensions. The Israeli military has increased airstrikes in Syria, often targeting Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups. The Israeli police confirmed that a man and woman were killed in the Hezbollah rocket barrage on the Golan Heights, with several fires breaking out in the area. It remains unclear if the victims were civilians or soldiers.
40 projectiles were launched into the Golan Heights from Lebanon, a strategic plateau annexed by Israel nearly 60 years ago. Efforts by the Biden administration to contain the conflict have not prevented the tit-for-tat strikes between Hezbollah and Israel. Hezbollah has vowed to continue violence along Israel’s northern border as long as the war in Gaza persists.
Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel in solidarity with the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7 that sparked the Gaza conflict. Over 150,000 Israelis and Lebanese have been displaced along the border due to the ongoing violence.
