Beirut: Israel carried out airstrikes in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Monday, killing at least two Hezbollah members in its deepest attack yet into Lebanese territory since hostilities erupted with the Iran-backed group last October, sources in Lebanon said.
The Israeli military said its warplanes had struck Hezbollah air defenses in the Bekaa Valley in response to the downing of an Israeli drone by the group earlier in the day. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah, which earlier said its fighters had shot down the drone using a surface-to-air missile.
The violence marked an escalation of hostilities that have been fought in parallel to the war in Gaza, heightening the risks of further escalation between heavily armed adversaries that last went to war in 2006.
The Israeli strikes hit an area some 18 km (11 miles) from the city of Baalbek, which is known for its ancient ruins - a UNESCO World Heritage site. The region near the Syrian border is a political stronghold of the Shi'ite Islamist group Hezbollah.
The sources said Israel had carried out simultaneous strikes in the area. A Lebanese security source and a source familiar with the matter said two Hezbollah members had been killed.
Lebanese television station Al-Jadeed broadcast images of plumes of smoke rising from the area.