Hezbollah says it struck Israeli surveillance system near Lebanon border

BEIRUT, Lebanon

Lebanese group Hezbollah said Thursday that it struck an Israeli surveillance system near the border with Israel.

The group said it targeted the surveillance system at the al-Abbad site with appropriate weapons and successfully hit it.

There was no comment from the Israeli army on the claim.

Tension has flared along the border between Israel and Lebanon, with exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah amid an Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip.

At least 49 Hezbollah members have been killed in clashes with Israeli forces since Oct. 7.

The border clashes have been the deadliest since Hezbollah and Israel fought a full-scale war in 2006, when the Lebanese group struck major Israeli cities with rockets, causing significant damage.

More than 1,000 Lebanese were killed in that war, while much of southern Lebanon — a Hezbollah stronghold — was devastated by Israeli attacks.

The escalation came as Israel widened its air and ground operations in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Israeli border towns on Oct. 7.

Nearly 10,600 people have been killed in the conflict, including 9,061 Palestinians and more than 1,538 Israelis.