Hezbollah has claimed a series of large-scale attacks targeting Israeli military positions, including multiple Merkava tanks, across southern Lebanon and areas along the northern Israeli border over a 48-hour period, according to Iran’s state-run Press TV.
According to the Lebanese group, at least 21 Merkava tanks were hit on Wednesday. By Thursday morning, the group reported additional strikes on around 20 more tanks, bringing the total number of claimed hits since March 2 to at least 73. Reports cited by affiliated sources suggest the figure may be higher.
Hezbollah’s armed wing, often referred to as the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, said its latest operations targeted Israeli armour across multiple locations. In the southern Lebanese town of Debel, three tanks were reportedly struck with guided missiles. In Al-Qantara, attacks targeted armoured units near several local landmarks, with additional strikes carried out using drones.
Further operations were reported in Taybeh, where nearly a dozen tanks were allegedly hit, and in Deir Siryan, where multiple tanks were struck in and around the area. The group indicated that attacks were ongoing at the time of its latest statement.
Independent verification of the scale of damage and casualties remains limited.
The Israeli military said that two soldiers were killed during combat operations in southern Lebanon amid ongoing clashes with Hezbollah along the border.
This brings to four the number of Israeli soldiers killed there, after the military said two were killed on March 8.
Some military commentators have described the intensity of the reported attacks as reminiscent of the 2006 Lebanon War, during which Hezbollah fighters used anti-tank weapons extensively against Israeli armour.