Israel’s military carried out an airborne operation that dropped troops into a town in eastern Lebanon overnight, residents and Lebanese state media said on Saturday, as heavy Israeli strikes on the area left more than a dozen people dead.
Lebanon was plunged deeper into the conflict engulfing the Middle East on Monday when Iran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets and drones into Israel, which has responded with heavy bombardment across Lebanon’s south, east and near the capital Beirut.
Overnight, Israeli helicopters dropped troops near the town of Nabi Chit in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, Lebanese state media and residents said. Residents and Hezbollah fighters fired on the troops as they moved on foot, the reports said.
The Israeli troops withdrew and left by helicopter as Israeli strikes pounded Nabi Chit and nearby towns, state media and residents said. Israel’s military did not immediately respond to Reuters questions on the incident.
Lebanon’s health ministry said 16 people had been killed in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours in Nabi Chit. A spokesperson told Reuters the toll included people killed in strikes throughout Friday as well as during intense overnight bombardment, and that it was expected to rise further.
