Hezbollah said it set off a bomb targeting Israeli forces at the Lebanese border on Monday in an apparent response to the killing in Syria last month of a prominent commander, triggering Israeli shelling of southern Lebanon.

Israel’s army said the blast targeted military vehicles in the Shebaa farms area, and that Israeli forces responded with artillery fire. It made no mention of casualties.

The explosive device was detonated in the Shebaa farms area, Hezbollah said in a statement. Lebanese media said Israeli shelling had hit the nearby town of Al Wazzani and other areas, with initial reports of injuries and damage to homes.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Hezbollah’s statement named the group that had carried out the attack after Samir Qantar. The Iranian-backed Shi’ite group has accused Israel of killing Qantar in air strike in Syria, and vowed to retaliate.

“The martyr leader Samir Qantar group detonated a large explosive device on an Israeli patrol in the Shebaa farms… which destroyed an Israeli vehicle… and injured those inside it,” Hezbollah said.

Witnesses said at least 10 Israeli shells had hit Al Wazzani shortly after the blast, causing material damage.

Lebanese New TV said in a newsflash there had been reports of injuries from the shelling.

Hezbollah is fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s civil war. Syrian state media said Qantar was involved in a major offensive earlier this year in Quneitra, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re near the end of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount