Israeli strikes it targets Hezbollah site in Lebanon

BEIRUT:

An Israeli strike on Monday evening targeted a Hezbollah arms depot in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, the Israeli military said.

The strike did not result in any fatalities, two security sources told Reuters. Lebanon's health ministry said of the eight injured six were Lebanese citizens and two Syrian children.

The Israeli military said its air force struck a number of Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in the area of Beqaa in Lebanon.

"Following the strikes, secondary explosions were identified, indicating the presence of large amounts of weapons in the facilities struck," the military said in a statement.

It said earlier strikes in Deir Qanoun and Tayibe south of Lebanon targeted a senior militant in Hezbollah's Rocket and Missile Unit and a cell operating from a Hezbollah military structure.

Following the depot strike, the Lebanese Agricultural Scientific Research Authority said it would close its research stations in the Beqaa region as a precaution because unexploded missiles landed nearby.

On Saturday, the Israel military said it targeted a weapons depot used by Lebanese armed group Hezbollah militants in an airstrike, killing at least 10 people including two children.

In July, Israeli strikes also targeted another depot storing ammunition belonging to the Iranian-backed group in the town of Adloun in southern Lebanon, three security sources told Reuters.

Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

Some 622 people in Lebanon have been killed since the start of the clashes last year, including 416 Hezbollah fighters and 132 civilians, according to a Reuters toll.