Israel Expands Fire Zone in Southern Lebanon and Hezbollah Targets Safed

SadaNews - Five people, including a father and son, were killed, and 13 others were injured on Saturday in a series of airstrikes and shelling conducted by the Israeli occupation on several areas in southern Lebanon, while sirens were heard in Safed, northern Israel, for the first time in about a month and a half.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that the "Resala" Health Rescue teams managed to recover two bodies from a building targeted by Israeli warplanes in Al-Burj Al-Shamali in the Tyre district in southern Lebanon.

Additionally, a drone strike targeted a house in Al-Marj neighborhood in the town of Ansar in Nabatieh Governorate, resulting in the death of a person and his son and injuring seven family members.

The agency also noted that a drone targeted a vehicle on the Al-Sharifa/Haboush/Nabatieh road in Nabatieh Governorate, leading to the death of one person and serious injuries to another.

For its part, the Israeli army radio reported the activation of warning sirens in Safed for the first time in about a month and a half.

The Israeli Home Front stated that warning sirens sounded in several areas in Upper Galilee to warn of rocket fire from Lebanon.

The Israeli army urged Israelis to adhere to the instructions of the Home Front at this stage.

In contrast, Hezbollah announced that it targeted Israeli military infrastructure in the city of Safed in northern Israel with shelling earlier on Saturday.

The party stated in a statement that it targeted "military infrastructure belonging to the Israeli enemy in the occupied city of Safed with a rocket barrage," in "response to the Israeli enemy's violation of the ceasefire and attacks that targeted villages in southern Lebanon, resulting in the martyrdom of several and injuries to civilians."

Injury of Two Lebanese Soldiers

The Lebanese army announced on Saturday that two soldiers were injured as a result of being targeted by an Israeli drone in southern Lebanon.

It stated in a statement, "Two army soldiers sustained serious injuries after being targeted inside a vehicle by an enemy Israeli drone on the public road in Abba (Nabatieh district), and they have been transferred to a hospital for treatment."

Earlier on Saturday, a senior Lebanese military source told Anadolu Agency, preferring to remain anonymous, that "Israeli occupation forces reached villages and towns in northern Litani river, including Zawtar Al-Sharqi and Shqeif Arnon, and became at the outskirts of the city of Nabatieh to the south."

The source added that the Israeli advance comes "in light of the Israeli military escalation and the increasing rate of attacks and encroachment into more southern villages and towns."

He pointed out that "the Lebanese army evacuated its positions from the villages and towns that became under the control of Israeli forces to preserve the safety of the soldiers, amid the power imbalance and the ongoing Israeli attacks that targeted security and military centers, causing casualties among the soldiers."

Evacuation Orders and Intense Airstrikes

The Israeli occupation army issued its third warning since Saturday morning to residents of southern Lebanon's towns, urging them to evacuate their homes immediately and move north of the Zahrani River.

The occupation launched a drone strike on the road leading to Nabeh Berri government hospital in Nabatieh, resulting in three injuries.

Israeli warplanes targeted the town of Ansar in Nabatieh district, leading to the destruction of the "Al-Khalil Center" commercial building in the town center.

In Nabatieh district, the town of Zabdine was subjected to a series of airstrikes, in addition to extensive airstrikes and shelling around the Shqeif Castle, while a drone carried out a strike on the town of Abba, where two injuries were recorded, according to the Lebanese agency.

Israeli airstrikes targeted the town of Harouf after midnight on Friday, resulting in the destruction of a house, alongside artillery shelling that extended to the outskirts of the nearby towns of Jabshait and Harouf.

In Marjeyoun district, the Israeli army conducted a major demolition operation in the Al-Arid area, followed by a series of airstrikes in the same area.

The town of Kfar Tabbnet in Nabatieh was attacked by two waves of Israeli warplanes, coinciding with artillery shelling that also targeted the town.

Intense Israeli artillery shelling targeted the area surrounding the electricity station in the new Marjeyoun area, according to the Lebanese agency.

In Bint Jbeil district in Nabatieh Governorate, Israeli warplanes carried out two airstrikes on the towns of Kafrdounin and Froun, and conducted four additional airstrikes on the towns of Al-Ghandouriya and Froun.

Additionally, warplanes conducted two strikes on the town of Al-Jmaijmeh and struck Al-Khurba near the town graveyard in the same district. Israeli planes also targeted the towns of Haris and Yater in Bint Jbeil district.

In Tyre district, an Israeli Apache helicopter fired two missiles at the town of Deben, in addition to intense airstrikes that targeted the town.

Israel periodically issues warnings to residents of southern Lebanon's towns and villages to evacuate in preparation for attacks on targets that the Israeli army claims belong to Hezbollah in those areas.

"Fruitful Discussions"

On another note, the Lebanese presidency stated in a statement on Saturday that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam assessed the "fruitful" discussions between military delegations from Lebanon and Israel at the U.S. Department of Defense "to launch the supporting security track for the ongoing discussions between the two parties."

The statement mentioned that Aoun and Salam discussed the ongoing preparations for the upcoming round of negotiations with Israel scheduled for June 2 and 3.

Previously, the Lebanese and Israeli sides held three rounds of discussions in the U.S. capital on April 14 and 23, with the last one on May 14 and 15, as part of a negotiation track sponsored by Washington.

A Precise Ambush

For its part, Hezbollah announced it carried out an ambush - at dawn - for an Israeli force that tried to advance towards the town of Al-Ghandouriya, indicating that it detonated explosive devices and targeted it with rockets.

The party stated in a statement: "The ambush resulted in injuries among enemy personnel who were withdrawn under heavy smoke cover and then bombarded the area from both air and artillery."

In several statements, Hezbollah indicated that it targeted the settlement of Kiryat Shmona with a barrage of rockets after midnight in response to Israeli attacks.

The party explained that it intervened early yesterday Friday with a ground-to-air missile against an Israeli drone of type "Hermes 450" in the skies over the town of Zawtar Al-Sharqi in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army radio confirmed that approximately 15 rockets fired from Lebanon toward northern towns had been detected since last night.

The occupation army claimed that it destroyed a platform used by Hezbollah to launch a missile at northern Israel last night.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported the deaths of 11 people, including a paramedic, and eight others injured in the city of Tyre yesterday Friday due to the occupation's airstrikes.

Since March 2, Israel has been waging an extensive aggression against Lebanon that has resulted in 3,355 deaths and 10,095 injuries, in addition to over one million displaced individuals, according to the latest official data.