Iran Fires Missiles Toward Jordan as Israel Expands Strikes in Lebanon
Ballistic missiles reportedly targeted a U.S. base in Jordan, with interceptions visible from northern Israel, as Israeli forces carried out another round of strikes in southern Lebanon
Lebanese media reported Friday evening that two people were killed during a new series of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, while Iran separately launched ballistic missiles toward Jordan in an escalation that led to interceptions being observed from northern Israel.
According to Lebanese reports, two people traveling on a motorcycle were killed when a strike hit the village of Roumine. Additional strikes were reportedly carried out in the Nabatieh area and Al-Fawqa. Soon afterward, people near the Sea of Galilee recorded footage of interceptions taking place in the sky.
Interceptions Seen Over the Sea of Galilee
The Israeli military said the interceptions occurred over Jordan, although their trajectory made them appear to observers in northern Israel as though they were directly overhead.
Iranian media initially reported a “powerful explosion in Jordan.” Iran’s Fars News Agency and Saudi outlet Al Hadath subsequently reported that missiles had been launched toward a U.S. base in the kingdom.
The Israeli strikes in Lebanon took place as diplomatic contacts with the Lebanese government continued.
Only one day earlier, five prisoners had been released and returned to Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Lebanese authorities were searching for the remains of former leaders of the country’s Jewish community who were abducted and murdered by terrorist organizations during the 1980s.
Operation on Ali Taher Ridge
The latest Israeli strikes in Lebanon also came amid the IDF’s ongoing operation on the Ali Taher Ridge, a strategically important Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon.
On Thursday, following a Reuters report that Iran had threatened to “respond forcefully” to Israeli activity on the ridge, the IDF disclosed details about the operation and its objectives. Israeli security officials said that while IDF forces had trapped dozens of Hezbollah terrorists inside the underground complex, there was no evidence supporting Iran’s assertion that members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had also been trapped there.
Israeli troops located openings that Hezbollah terrorists could potentially use to escape the underground complex. The forces monitored those exits and blocked Hezbollah attempts to provide assistance to those remaining inside from outside the facility.
Hezbollah initially attempted to move equipment to its personnel inside the complex. However, security officials said conditions became increasingly difficult as the operation progressed, putting additional pressure on the organization.
During the fighting, Israeli forces positioned around the exits exchanged fire with Hezbollah terrorists attempting to flee the complex. According to the IDF, dozens were killed. The military said its forces gained operational control through ambushes, attacks on tunnel shafts, grenades, drones and other strikes.
Iranian officials have continued to claim that dozens of Iranians and Lebanese remain trapped at the site. The IDF, however, said Thursday that its clearing operation against Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure on Ali Taher Ridge had been completed and that every terrorist inside had either been killed or escaped.
“The operation to neutralize the underground infrastructure that was cleared of terrorists is continuing, and once it is completed, the IDF will redeploy in a renewed defensive posture,” the military said.
According to the IDF, the underground complex included command centers, weapons storage rooms, generators, living quarters, showers and a kitchen. The facilities enabled Hezbollah forces to carry out combat operations while remaining underground for prolonged periods.
The military described the site as “strategic infrastructure built over two decades, financed and planned by the Iranian terror regime.”
Ballistic missiles reportedly targeted a U.S. base in Jordan, with interceptions visible from northern Israel, as Israeli forces carried out another round of strikes in southern Lebanon
Lebanese media reported Friday evening that two people were killed during a new series of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, while Iran separately launched ballistic missiles toward Jordan in an escalation that led to interceptions being observed from northern Israel.
According to Lebanese reports, two people traveling on a motorcycle were killed when a strike hit the village of Roumine. Additional strikes were reportedly carried out in the Nabatieh area and Al-Fawqa. Soon afterward, people near the Sea of Galilee recorded footage of interceptions taking place in the sky.
Interceptions Seen Over the Sea of Galilee
The Israeli military said the interceptions occurred over Jordan, although their trajectory made them appear to observers in northern Israel as though they were directly overhead.
Iranian media initially reported a “powerful explosion in Jordan.” Iran’s Fars News Agency and Saudi outlet Al Hadath subsequently reported that missiles had been launched toward a U.S. base in the kingdom.
The Israeli strikes in Lebanon took place as diplomatic contacts with the Lebanese government continued.
Only one day earlier, five prisoners had been released and returned to Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Lebanese authorities were searching for the remains of former leaders of the country’s Jewish community who were abducted and murdered by terrorist organizations during the 1980s.
Operation on Ali Taher Ridge
The latest Israeli strikes in Lebanon also came amid the IDF’s ongoing operation on the Ali Taher Ridge, a strategically important Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon.
On Thursday, following a Reuters report that Iran had threatened to “respond forcefully” to Israeli activity on the ridge, the IDF disclosed details about the operation and its objectives. Israeli security officials said that while IDF forces had trapped dozens of Hezbollah terrorists inside the underground complex, there was no evidence supporting Iran’s assertion that members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had also been trapped there.
Israeli troops located openings that Hezbollah terrorists could potentially use to escape the underground complex. The forces monitored those exits and blocked Hezbollah attempts to provide assistance to those remaining inside from outside the facility.
Hezbollah initially attempted to move equipment to its personnel inside the complex. However, security officials said conditions became increasingly difficult as the operation progressed, putting additional pressure on the organization.
During the fighting, Israeli forces positioned around the exits exchanged fire with Hezbollah terrorists attempting to flee the complex. According to the IDF, dozens were killed. The military said its forces gained operational control through ambushes, attacks on tunnel shafts, grenades, drones and other strikes.
Iranian officials have continued to claim that dozens of Iranians and Lebanese remain trapped at the site. The IDF, however, said Thursday that its clearing operation against Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure on Ali Taher Ridge had been completed and that every terrorist inside had either been killed or escaped.
“The operation to neutralize the underground infrastructure that was cleared of terrorists is continuing, and once it is completed, the IDF will redeploy in a renewed defensive posture,” the military said.
According to the IDF, the underground complex included command centers, weapons storage rooms, generators, living quarters, showers and a kitchen. The facilities enabled Hezbollah forces to carry out combat operations while remaining underground for prolonged periods.
The military described the site as “strategic infrastructure built over two decades, financed and planned by the Iranian terror regime.”