Lebanon's Hezbollah praises Iran's retaliatory attack on Israel

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group, which has been exchanging cross-border fire with Israel since the Gaza war erupted, on Sunday congratulated Tehran on its overnight attack on Israel, saying it "achieved" its military objectives.

"Hezbollah presents its congratulations... to the leadership" of Iran and its people for the "unprecedented" attack on Israel, the powerful Lebanese militant group said in a statement.

The Shia Muslim movement also praised Tehran's "brave and wise decision to respond firmly to the Zionist attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus".

The Islamic republic launched more than 300 drones and missiles towards Israel from late Saturday, Israel's military said.

Tehran launched the attack in retaliation for a deadly air strike widely blamed on Israel that destroyed its consular section in Syria's capital on 1 April.

Hezbollah said Iran "achieved" its military objectives "despite the participation of the United States and its international allies... in responding to the stunning attack".

Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes in Syria since civil war broke out 13 years ago, targeting Iran-backed forces including Hezbollah, a Damascus ally, as well as Syrian army positions and weapons depots.

It rarely comments on individual strikes, and has not done so on the consulate attack.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitor of the country's civil conflict, said 16 people were killed in the Damascus strike, with Hezbollah saying one of its members was among the dead.

Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged near-daily fire across Lebanon's southern border since Israel began its war on Gaza on 7 October. 

Hezbollah says it is acting in support of Gazans and Hamas with its attacks, while the escalating hostilities have raised fears of all-out conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which last went to war in 2006.