Hezbollah escalates conflict, drones strike near Israeli city

The Lebanese terrorist organisation Hezbollah announced on Tuesday that it launched drones at the Israeli city of Acre, according to Reuters. This move marked a significant escalation as the Iran-funded group had not penetrated so deeply into Israel during the current conflict.

The target of the Hezbollah attack was the Israeli military base Shraga, located north of the city. The organisation stated the attack was in retaliation for the death of group member Hussein Azkoul, who was responsible for Hezbollah's air force. Azkoul was killed on Tuesday morning in an Israeli drone attack, as reported by the Lebanese portal Naharnet.

The drones launched by Hezbollah were intercepted and destroyed by Israeli forces. According to the "Times of Israel" portal, the army shot down three suspicious objects over the sea near the region—two off the coast of Acre and the third near Nahariya.

In an Israeli operation conducted from Monday night into Tuesday, a fighter from Hezbollah's elite unit was also killed, the military reported. However, Hezbollah has yet to confirm this casualty.

Since October, approximately 270 Hezbollah fighters and around 50 civilians have been killed in Israeli strikes. Hezbollah's rocket and drone attacks have likewise resulted in several Israeli soldiers and nearly half that number of civilian deaths. The ongoing violence has displaced tens of thousands from each side, as reported by Reuters.