Israel launches air strikes in Lebanon following Hezbollah rocket attack

Israel conducted a wave of air strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday in response to a Hezbollah rocket strike that killed an Israeli soldier.

Hezbollah maintains control of much of southern Lebanon, including portions of the border with Israel. The group maintains close ties with Iran and has sparred with Jerusalem's forces since the outbreak of the ongoing conflict in Gaza on the other end of the country.

Israeli authorities acknowledged one fatality and seven injured from the Hezbollah rocket strike in Safed, according to the BBC. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) subsequently waged counterstrikes.

"Among the targets struck were military compounds, operational control rooms, and terror infrastructure," the IDF said. The Israeli strikes have reportedly resulting in at least five deaths, including two Hezbollah fighters, according to the Wall Street Journal. Lebanese media have claimed that a Syrian women and her sons died from a strike in Souaneh.

The ongoing cross-border strikes have prompted concerns of a wider war. Hostilities have persisted since the Oct. 7 Hamas raid on Israeli territory that saw the group kill roughly 1,200 civilians and seize more than 200 hostages.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.