Hezbollah said Saturday its fighters clashed with Israeli troops who infiltrated a town in eastern Lebanon overnight, as Lebanese authorities reported at least 16 people killed in Israeli strikes on the area.
In a statement, Hezbollah said its fighters had “observed the infiltration of four Israeli enemy army helicopters from the Syrian direction”.
After landing and disembarking, the advancing troops “were engaged” by a group of Hezbollah fighters as they reached a cemetery in the town of Nabi Sheet, Hezbollah said.
“The clash escalated after the enemy force was exposed,” it added, saying the Israeli troops launched intense strikes before evacuating
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
A Hezbollah official in the Bekaa region, where Nabi Sheet is located, told AFP that the cemetery the Israelis raided belonged to the Shukr family.
Last month, Lebanese authorities charged four people with kidnapping Ahmad Shukr, whose brother Hassan is suspected of involvement in the 1986 capture of Israeli air force navigator Ron Arad, on behalf of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.
Arad is presumed dead, though his remains were never returned.
The Hezbollah official said it was not clear what the Israelis took from the cemetery.
An AFP correspondent in the area heard warplanes and intense gunfire throughout the night.
Lebanon’s east, where Hezbollah holds sway, was subjected to heavy Israeli strikes on Friday, particularly Nabi Sheet, which was struck at least 13 times, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).
The Lebanese health ministry said at least 16 people have been killed in strikes in the area, with 35 wounded.
In a separate statement, Hezbollah said it targeted using rockets an “evacuation area” for the Israelis outside Nabi Sheet.
Israel has launched numerous strikes and sent ground troops into Lebanon since the Iran-backed Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
NNA also said earlier on Saturday that “clashes are taking place on the eastern mountain range along the Lebanese-Syrian border… to repel Israeli landing attempts”.
