Hezbollah announced that Israel killed seven of its fighters without specifying whether they were killed in Israeli bombing in southern Lebanon or Israeli raids in Syria.
It is the party's largest death toll in one day since the start of the last confrontations on Oct. 8th.
Hezbollah named the seven fighters in a statement, which contradicts the party's media policy in announcing deaths since it engaged in battles with the Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
Traditionally, the party would announce the death of its fighters in separate statements, but this time, it named all seven at once.
With that, the number of Hezbollah fighters killed since the outbreak of tension last month to 69.
Hezbollah's Military Media announced in a statement the "seven martyrs on the path of al-Quds," adding that "with utmost pride and honor, its "noble" martyrs are Martyr Ali Khalil al-Ali (Khodor) from Mleekh, Martyr Mohammad Ali Abbas Assaf (Jawad) from Boudai, Martyr Abdul Latif Hassan Swaidan (Safi) Yater, Martyr Mohammad Qassem Tleis (Abu Ali) from Brital, Martyr Jawad Mahdi Hashem (Abu Saleh) from Khiam, Martyr Jaafar Ali Sarhan (Mahran) from Mashghara, and Martyr Qassem Mohammad Awada )Malak Ghanem) from Jouayya.
- Damascus and Homs strikes
Meanwhile, Hezbollah and Israel continued to exchange fire in the south, and Israeli air strikes escalated on Thursday evening, coinciding with strikes on sensitive sites in Homs, central Syria.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that Israel raided Hezbollah sites near Damascus.
SOHR director Rami Abdel Rahman told Asharq Al-Awsat that three of the fighters mourned by the party were killed in the Israeli targeting of farms and other Hezbollah sites near Aqraba and Sayyida Zeinab in southwest Damascus on Wednesday night.
Abdel Rahman has no information about the deaths of the other four, noting that Israel targeted Hezbollah and the Syrian army sites in the east of Shinchar, southeast of Homs.
He explained that the targets included air defense sites and drone launch pads, but the Syrian regime and Hezbollah were discreet about the strike. He indicated that the target was a security area, and whether there were casualties was not confirmed.
At Friday dawn, Israel targeted Syria in response to the crash of a drone on Thursday at a school in Eilat, southern Israel, according to the Israeli army.
The army said, in a statement on the "X" platform, that it struck the organization that targeted a school in Eilat.
"The Syrian regime is fully responsible for all terror activity that is carried out from Syrian territory. The IDF will respond severely to any attempt to attack the territory of the State of Israel," it said.
- Escalation in southern Lebanon
Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli army stated that it continued its operations to "destroy the infrastructure of the Hezbollah." Israeli combat aircraft bombed Hezbollah targets on Lebanese territory.
Thursday and Friday night witnessed a significant escalation in artillery shelling and air strikes.
The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reported that the Israeli forces expanded the scope of their attacks and targeted al-Jarmak, al-Aishiya, and Sojd with 175 mm shells.
They also carried out a raid on the outskirts of Blida, setting ablaze to one of the houses in the area.
Israel intermittently targeted the vicinity of Naqoura, Alma al-Shaab, and Jabal al-Labouneh, near the Blue Line, reported NNA.
Warplanes and reconnaissance aircraft hovered over the area, all the way to Hermel in the northern Bekaa in northeastern Lebanon.
Hezbollah fighters targeted a group of Israeli soldiers near the al-Asi site with guided missiles and directly targeted two other Israeli soldiers groups.
An Israeli artillery bombardment was recorded on the outskirts of al-Adissa and Kafr Kila with incendiary bombs and a similar bombardment on the Labouneh area in Naqoura.
The al-Resala Health Ambulance Association evacuated a family in Mays al-Jabal after Israel bombed their house.
