According to the Israel Defense Forces, the aircraft were never under any serious threat from the attack. However, it appeared to be the first use of anti-aircraft missiles in Lebanon against Israeli jets since war broke out eight months ago, and came after several weeks that have seen Hezbollah slowly ratchet up the scale, intensity and reach of hostilities.
The IDF said a short while after the missiles were launched, a drone struck and killed the cell, near the coastal city of Tyre.
Elsewhere, the IDF said it struck buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon’s Chebaa, Aitaroun, and Markaba, alongside additional infrastructure in Aitaroun and a rocket launcher in at-Tiri, used in a recent attack on northern Israel.
Another building in southern Lebanon’s Houla, where the IDF said it identified Hezbollah operatives, was also hit by fighter jets.
Hours later, incoming rocket alerts were activated in the northern coastal city of Acre and the surrounding area, around 17 kilometers (10 miles) from the Lebanon border, shortly before 1 a.m. on Monday.
A minute later, sirens sounded in Kiryat Bialik, one of the so-called Krayot suburbs of Haifa. READ MORE