Two Hezbollah fighters killed in renewed fighting along Lebanon-Israel border

Hezbollah said it fired missiles at eight positions across the border while Israel said it retaliated with artillery.

Israeli soldiers take part in an military exercise near Kibbutz Ortal in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights near the Lebanon border on November 15, 2023, amid increasing cross-border tensions as fighting continues with Hamas militants in the southern Gaza Strip. AFPShow less

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Fierce clashes broke out along the Lebanon-Israel border on Thursday after a day of relative calm between Israel and the armed Hezbollah group.

Two Hezbollah fighters were killed “on the road to Jerusalem”, the Iran-backed group said. It did not specify the exact location, but the Israeli army said it had struck a fighter “who was operating in Lebanese territory”, in a statement.

Hezbollah said it fired missiles at eight positions across the border – including an infantry force, a barracks and other military posts – throughout the day, while Israel said it retaliated with artillery.

The Israeli army said it “struck a terror cell” in Lebanon that had tried to launch anti-tank missiles across the border, and said it was retaliating with artillery at other targets.

Israel claimed no casualties on its side.

A Lebanese security source told Reuters the Israeli bombardment hit at least a dozen villages along Lebanon's southern border and said it was one of the most violent days since Hezbollah began waging a war of attrition against Israel on October 8.

The conflict has gradually intensified but fallen short of full-scale war. Despite frequent provocations by both, Hezbollah and Israel have maintained a flow of exchanges along the border as Hezbollah seeks to divert Israel from its assault on the Gaza strip.

The latest from the Israel-Gaza war – in pictures

Palestinian children wounded in Israeli strikes amid the Israel-Gaza war wait for treatment at Nasser Hospital. Reuters

Wounded Palestinians are assisted out of an ambulance to receive treatment at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Reuters

Displaced Palestinian children gather for breakfast at a refugee camp in Rafah. AFP

Children inside a damaged building following strikes on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

People salvage belongings from a damaged building following strikes on Rafah. AFP

A girl is assisted as Palestinians search for casualties after an Israeli strike on a house, in Rafa in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

A Palestinian woman is evacuated at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Rafah. Reuters

Police officers push back a counter protester who snatched a pro-Palestinian placard from a woman during a demonstration in solidarity with Gazans, London. Reuters

Israeli soldiers inside the Gaza Strip, amid the continuing ground operation. Reuters

An Israeli flag can be seen inside the Gaza Strip, from the Israeli side of the border. Reuters

A Palestinian woman evacuates her home, heading to the southern Gaza Strip. EPA

Thomas Hand, the father of Irish-Israeli Emily Hand, 8, who was announced dead following the October 7 attack, then later confirmed as one of the hostages held in Gaza, speaks from his hotel where he was evacuated to in Israel. Reuters

A residential building on fire following Israeli air strikes in Gaza city. Bloomberg

The rubble from destroyed residential buildings fills a street in Gaza city. Bloomberg

A Palestinian child drinks water as they evacuate to the southern Gaza Strip. EPA

Palestinians displaced from Gaza city head towards the south. Bloomberg

Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip. AP

Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip on Salah al-Din Street in Bureij, Gaza Strip. AP

A group picture ahead of an emergency meeting of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation in Riyadh. AFP

Most residents have evacuated border towns on both sides, but civilian deaths are not uncommon. At least 10 civilians have been killed in Lebanon, while the Israeli army acknowledges at least three civilians killed on its side.

It is the deadliest violence at the border since Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006. Thousands of people on both sides of the conflict have been displaced from their homes.

It also marks “the largest displacement of Jews inside Israel since its creation”, according to Karim Mufti, a political researcher and professor of international affairs at Sciences Po Paris.