Lebanon's Hezbollah says fires rockets at Israeli position

Lebanese group Hezbollah said it fired rockets at an Israeli position in the village of Manara on Thursday and drew an Israeli artillery barrage in response, the latest exchange in the worst escalation in violence on the border in 17 years.

The Iran-backed group says 13 of its fighters have been killed so far in the cross-border exchanges that have flared since 7 October, when Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel and Israeli forces launched a relentless and indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza in revenge.

Hezbollah, which fought a war with Israel in 2006, said its fighters had hit the Israeli position in Manara with guided missiles. It also said its fighters had attacked four other Israeli positions on Thursday.

The Israeli military earlier reported fighters in Lebanon had fired at least two anti-armour missiles into Israel, striking the border village of Manara without causing casualties.

Hezbollah has said it was fully ready to contribute to the conflict with Israel. But sources familiar with its thinking say its attacks on the barder have been designed to keep Israeli forces busy without opening a major new front.

Israel's defence minister said on 15 October that Israel had no interest in waging war on its northern front, and that if Hezbollah restrained itself then Israel would also keep the situation along the border as it was. 

Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing since 7 October, has killed 3,785 Palestinians - over 1,500 of them children - with 1,400 Israelis killed in Hamas's surprise attack.

(Reuters & The New Arab Staff)