Israel-Lebanon border casualties as army trades fire with Iran-backed Hezbollah
- With four fighters from the militant group killed and one from Islamic Jihad, Israel military says Hezbollah ‘playing a very, very dangerous game’
- Three Israeli soldiers were injured, one seriously, by Hezbollah anti-tank fire
Hezbollah’s escalating attacks on Israel risk “dragging Lebanon into a war”, Israel’s military said on Sunday, after renewed cross-border exchanges of fire that have raised fears of a wider conflict.
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah – backed by Iran – is allied with Hamas, which touched off the latest violence with a bloody October 7 rampage in Israel that killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.
Casualties were reported along the Israel-Lebanon border on Saturday as the army traded fire with Hezbollah.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman Jonathan Conricus said Hezbollah was “dragging Lebanon into a war that it will gain nothing from, but stands to lose a lot”.
“Hezbollah is playing a very, very dangerous game,” he added. “They’re escalating the situation. We see more and more attacks every day. Is the Lebanese state really willing to jeopardise what is left of Lebanese prosperity and Lebanese sovereignty for the sake of terrorists in Gaza?”
In south Lebanon, Hezbollah said four of its fighters were killed. Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said one of its fighters was also killed.