Hezbollah says 33 attacks hit Israeli forces in south Lebanon

Hezbollah said Friday it had carried out 33 attacks targeting Israeli military positions, troop gatherings and vehicles across southern Lebanon within the past 24 hours, describing the operations as a response to ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement and strikes on civilian areas.

Operations across southern Lebanon

In separate statements, the group said operations targeted Israeli forces in the towns of Rashaf, Qouzah and Hadatha, employing attack drones, rocket barrages and artillery shelling against military bulldozers and troop concentrations. It said Liman barracks and Kiryat Shmona barracks were also struck with drone attacks, while rocket and artillery fire hit positions in Qouzah and Hadatha, stating that several attacks achieved "confirmed hits."

Israeli security measures

The Israeli army declared the northern coastal areas of Rosh Hanikra and Achziv a closed military zone earlier Friday, citing the "security situation" after repeated air raid sirens triggered by drone infiltrations and rocket launches from southern Lebanon. The closures followed weeks of escalating cross-border tensions that have seen Hezbollah deploy increasingly sophisticated fiber-optic drones capable of evading detection systems.

Netanyahu acknowledges drone threat

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged in late April that Hezbollah missiles and drones represented "two major threats" facing Israel and urged the military to accelerate development of countermeasures. The statement marked a rare public admission by the Israeli leadership of the mounting tactical challenges posed by the group's unmanned aerial capabilities.