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IAF attacks deep in Lebanon as Hezbollah fires dozens of rockets into Israel

A winery was set on fire and heavily damaged by a direct hit, though no injuries were reported.

Smoke rises during an exchange of fire between the IDF and Hezbollah on the Lebanese border, Dec. 18, 2023. Photo by Ayal Margolin/Flash90.
Smoke rises during an exchange of fire between the IDF and Hezbollah on the Lebanese border, Dec. 18, 2023. Photo by Ayal Margolin/Flash90.

Hezbollah fired more than 50 rockets into northern Israel on Tuesday afternoon as the Israeli Air Force carried out its farthest strike into Lebanon since the start of the war.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the enemy barrage that targeted communities in the Upper Galilee, mostly east of Safed.

The IDF said that fighter jets struck a “military” complex used by Hezbollah’s air unit in the area of Zboud in northeastern Lebanon in response to an attack earlier in the day against the Meron Air Base.

“An aircraft landing pad and a number of other military buildings belonging to the terrorist organization were attacked in the compound,” the army said.

According to Lebanese reports, the IDF also attacked north of Baalbek, in the areas of Wadi a-Nira and Hermel. The attacks represent the deepest strikes in Lebanese territory since the start of the war.

Israel strikes were also reported in Hanin in Southern Lebanon.

A Hezbollah anti-tank missile barrage earlier on Tuesday scored a direct hit on a winery in Moshav Avivim in the Upper Galilee, setting it on fire. There was heavy damage but no injuries were reported. Two fire crews extinguished the blaze.

The Iranian terrorist proxy also fired several projectiles, also apparently anti-tank missiles, from Lebanon at the Mount Meron air traffic control base, the Israel Defense Forces said. The attack caused no injuries and “no harm to the unit’s capabilities,” according to the military.

Hezbollah has targeted the base, located about five miles from the Lebanese border, several times since joining the war in support of Hamas on Oct. 8.

Following the two attacks, IDF artillery fired at the source of the launches.

The Hezbollah attacks triggered air raid sirens in the border kibbutz of Hanita. Alerts were also heard in the nearby towns of Betzet and Shlomi shortly before 1 a.m. The other attacks on Tuesday did not trigger sirens.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force began a wave of attacks on Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon on Tuesday, striking the villages of Ayita al-Sha’ab and Maroun al-Ras.

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