Three people killed due to Israeli shelling in southern Lebanon

Three people were killed, including two Hezbollah fighters, in Israeli strikes targeting several towns in southern Lebanon overnight, according to the party and the official National News Agency on Saturday.

Hezbollah has intensified its targeting of military sites since the beginning of last week amid tensions between Israel and its supporter Tehran following the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus in early April.

Hezbollah mourned the deaths of two of its fighters from the towns of Kfar Kila and Khiam in separate statements, saying that each one "rose as a martyr on the path to Jerusalem," a phrase the group uses to praise its members killed by Israeli fire since the escalation across the border amid the Gaza war.

The National News Agency reported that "Israeli warplanes carried out two strikes on the towns of Kfar Shuba and Shebaa" early on Saturday, resulting in the death of a civilian in Kfar Shuba.

Several towns in southern Lebanon were hit by Israeli strikes in recent hours, causing damage to homes and property, according to the National News Agency.

Hezbollah announced in a statement on Saturday that it targeted "newly established positions of enemy soldiers" west of Shomera in northern Israel. 

This followed its attack on two military sites with dozens of Katyusha rockets the day before, which was in response to an Israeli strike that targeted two military leaders from the 'Islamic Group' in the western Beqaa region.

The Beqaa region, located in eastern Lebanon, is far from the areas affected by the ongoing Israeli bombing since the escalation.

The Israeli military said that it ''carried out the strike against a 'prominent terrorist' in the Islamic Group who had 'conducted numerous attacks' against Israel.''

AFP