The attack by the Iran-aligned group comes as Israel anticipates Iran's response to its airstrike on the Syrian consulate.
Hezbollah said it fired “dozens of rockets” at Israeli artillery positions in response to an Israeli offensive in southern Lebanon, one of the largest attacks since the start of the Gaza war.
Lebanese militants allied with Iran acknowledged in a statement late Friday that they had fired dozens of Katyusha rockets at “enemy artillery positions” in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights.
The rockets set off sirens in several communities across northern Israel's Upper Galilee, and air defense missiles struck incoming projectiles.
“Forty shots were confirmed to have been launched from Lebanese territory, some of which were intercepted,” the Israeli military said. The rest fell into the open. ”
“This is one of the largest barrages of the war in Gaza so far, with a large number of rockets and drones,” Al Jazeera's Rory Challans reported from occupied East Jerusalem.
“No injuries were reported,” the Israeli military said, adding that it had earlier intercepted two explosive-laden drones operated by Hezbollah that entered Israeli territory from Lebanon late Friday.
Hezbollah, an ally of the Palestinian group Hamas, and the Israeli military have engaged in near-daily firefights across the border since the Gaza war began on October 7. The group announced that it would cease attacks on Israel after a ceasefire was reached in Gaza. Gaza.
Although retaliatory attacks remain largely confined to border areas, their frequency and intensity have raised concerns that the conflict could escalate further.
Al Jazeera's Ali Hashem, reporting from Tire in southern Lebanon, said that while Hezbollah's launch was important given the current regional situation, the location was equally important.
“It is not normal to attack Golan in this confrontation,” he said.
Hashem said this shows “how dramatically the rules of engagement in this conflict are changing,” with attacks not only harming military targets but also civilians, with several people on the Israeli side In comparison, more than 60 Lebanese civilians were killed.
Amid rising tensions, Israel launched at least five airstrikes on Saturday in southeastern Lebanon, one of Hezbollah's strongholds, according to Hashim news agency.
The Israeli Air Force announced on Saturday that Israeli warplanes had targeted a major “military installation” run by Hezbollah.
Hezbollah's latest attack is in retaliation for an airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria that killed seven military personnel, including two generals in charge of operations in Lebanon and Syria. It was held as expected.
The Israeli military said it was preparing for an attack by Iran, and Foreign Minister Israel Katz warned Iran that if it used its territory to launch an attack, Israel would attack inside Iran as well.
Israeli Defense Minister Job Gallant said his country stands ready to work closely with “our partners,” namely the United States, to defend itself on the ground and in the air.
“The situation is escalating by the minute and everyone is anticipating what the next steps will be,” Hashem said.