An Israeli strike Friday killed two Hezbollah fighters near the border, a source close to the Lebanese group and Israel鈥檚 military said, while drones broadcast anti-Hezbollah messages over south Lebanon.
Hezbollah has traded near-daily fire with Israeli forces in support of ally Hamas since the Palestinian militant group鈥檚 October 7 attack on Israel triggered war in Gaza.
But fears of all-out war have skyrocketed after an Israeli strike on Beirut鈥檚 southern suburbs last week killed Hezbollah鈥檚 top military commander, just hours before the killing, blamed on Israel, of Hamas鈥檚 political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Iran and Hezbollah have vowed revenge.
Hezbollah in separate statements Friday said two of its fighters were 鈥榤artyred on the road to Jerusalem鈥�, the phrase it uses to refer to fighters killed by Israeli fire.
A source close to the Iran-backed group, requesting anonymity, said the pair were killed 鈥榠n an Israeli strike in Naqura鈥�.
A Lebanese security source said an Israeli strike on a vehicle in the southern city of Sidon on Friday killed a Hamas security official from the nearby Ain al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp.
It is the first strike of its kind in Sidon since the Palestinian militant group launched its October 7 attack on Israel, triggering war in Gaza and prompting its Lebanese ally Hezbollah to begin trading near-daily cross-border fire with the Israeli army in a bid to tie down its troops.
鈥楢n Israeli strike targeted a Hamas movement security official from the Ain al-Helweh camp while he was inside his vehicle in the city of Sidon,鈥� the source said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
An AFP correspondent saw emergency personnel pull a charred body from the vehicle while soldiers cordoned off the area.