The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it carried out a drone attack on northern Israel early Monday morning, wounding two Israeli soldiers and causing a fire, according to the Israeli military.
The violence came after fears of an all-out regional war grew last week following the killing of a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and the top political leader of Hamas in Iran.
Iran-backed Hezbollah said in a statement that it attacked a military base in northern Israel in response to “attacks and killings” carried out by Israel in several villages in southern Lebanon.
The attack does not appear to be part of a more violent retaliation expected in response to the killing of Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut last week.
The Israeli military said firefighters were working to extinguish a fire that broke out as a result of the attack in Ayelet HaShahar in the Upper Galilee.
Israel and Hezbollah have been carrying out near-daily attacks over the past 10 months against the backdrop of the war in Gaza. In the past, however, they have managed to keep the conflict at a low flame, preventing it from escalating into a full-blown war.
Last week's killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital Tehran and Hezbollah commander Shukur in Beirut have raised tensions in the region, as Israel braces for retaliation from Iran and its allied militias.
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Lebanese state media reports Israeli drone strike leaves 2 dead in southern Lebanon
BEIRUT — Lebanon's state news agency reports that two people, including a paramedic, were killed in an Israeli drone strike near a cemetery in a southern village.
The agency did not provide further details about the Monday morning strike in the village of Meissa al-Jabal. It said one of the dead was a member of the Islamic Risala Scout Association's paramedic group. The group identified the slain member as Mohammed Fawzi Hamadi.
Tensions in the region have risen sharply since last week after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed Fouad Shukur, a top commander of the militant Hezbollah group.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed that the group will take revenge on Israel.
Australia raises terrorism threat level from 'possible' to 'probable', but says no specific threat
MELBOURNE, Australia — The Australian government on Monday raised the alert level for terrorism in the country from “possible” to “probable,” citing concerns about growing radicalization among young people and tensions in the community over the war between Israel and Hamas.
It is the first time since November 2022 that the threat level has been raised to the middle of the five-tier National Terrorism Threat Advisory System. For the previous eight years, the level was “probable.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese added that government officials believe the current climate makes terrorism a greater threat, but they are not aware of any specific threats.
“I want to reassure Australians that likely does not mean inevitable, and it does not mean there is intelligence of an imminent threat or danger,” Albanese told reporters.
He said the government was acting on advice from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the country's main domestic spy agency, better known as ASIO.
“The advice we've been given is that more Australians are embracing a wider range of extreme ideologies and it's our responsibility to be vigilant,” Albanese said.
Netanyahu says Israel is already in a 'multi-front war' with Iran
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel is already engaged in a “multi-front war” with Iran and its allies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting Sunday, as the United States and allies prepare to defend Israel against an expected counterattack and prevent an even more destructive regional conflict.
Tensions have been running high after nearly 10 months of war in Gaza and the killing last week of a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas's top political leader in Iran. Iran and its allies have blamed Israel and threatened retaliation. Hamas says it has begun talks on choosing a new leader.
Netanyahu said Israel was ready for any scenario. Jordan's foreign minister made a rare trip to Iran as part of diplomatic efforts — “We want the escalation to stop,” Ayman Safadi said — while the Pentagon has shifted significant resources to the region.
