Hezbollah Air Defenses in Northeast Lebanon Struck Following Drone Downed by Terror Group

By Yoni Weiss

The IDF announced on Sunday that it conducted airstrikes targeting sites belonging to Hezbollah’s air defense unit in northeastern Lebanon’s Baalbek region overnight Motzoei Shabbos. This came in response to the terror group’s shooting down of a military drone.

According to the IDF, the targets included a compound and three other infrastructures related to Hezbollah’s air defenses in the Baalbek district. Reports indicate that the strikes hit two areas in the region: Janta an Arid and Sifri, both located near the Syrian border and in the Bekaa Valley.

Fortunately, there were no reported casualties from the strikes, as confirmed by a source in Lebanon’s Civil Defense Department.

Baalbek, a Hezbollah stronghold, is situated nearly 100 kilometers from the Israeli border. This latest strike marks the fifth occasion during the Gaza war in which Israel has targeted Hezbollah positions in the Baalbek area.

The IDF stated that these strikes were in direct response to Hezbollah’s downing of a military drone over southern Lebanon on Shabbos, using a surface-to-air missile. Initially, Hezbollah claimed it had downed an Elbit Hermes 450 drone, but later revised the statement to claim it was a Hermes 900 model. Both types of drones are utilized by the IDF for surveillance and military operations.

The IDF noted that the incident is under further investigation.

This recent escalation follows heightened tensions in the region, particularly since an alleged Israeli strike in Damascus resulted in the death of seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members, including a senior Quds Force commander, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi. Iran has vowed retaliation for the attack.

Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has expressed support for Iran’s right to “punish” Israel. In a broadcast address on Friday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned that the group’s response was imminent, emphasizing that they had not yet deployed their “main weapons” despite months of cross-border exchanges with Israel.

Nasrallah’s remarks came during Quds (Jerusalem) Day, an annual event marked by pro-Palestinian rallies organized by Iran and its allies.