A teenager was killed and dozens of people injured as Israel launched a series of aerial attacks on Lebanon on Thursday.
The boy, a Syrian, died in an attack near Baalbek, some way north of Israel's main area of operations in Lebanon. Official Lebanese media gave his age as 16 or 17.
Reports said Israeli aircraft were carrying out raids across the region, damaging homes, shops and markets in Baalbek. Twenty-nine people were reported injured.
The Israeli military said it had struck eight “military compounds” used by Hezbollah's special operations unit, the Radwan Force.
It claimed, without offering evidence, that the areas attacked were used to store rockets and firearms, and had been the scene of Hezbollah training exercises to prepare for a state of emergency.
Israel claims Hezbollah is secretly rearming after suffering heavy losses in the war between the two in 2024. The accusation is disputed in Lebanon.
Air strikes on Lebanon are common despite a ceasefire that called for Israel to withdraw its forces from the country and came into force in November 2024. Several patches of territory in the south remain occupied by Israeli troops.
The Israeli government has threatened to step up attacks if Hezbollah, an ally of Iran, becomes involved in a dreaded regional war with the US. Sources have told The National Hezbollah is signalling restraint and would not necessarily intervene.
Under pressure from the US, the Lebanese government and army are pursuing their own plans to disarm Hezbollah. The group has vowed it will not hand over its weapons.
