On Yom Kippur, Hezbollah drones hit nursing home, power plant in Israel's Herzliya

As Jews in Israel mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, there is no let-up in the violence that has engulfed the region for more than a year. Israel, which went into a cautious shutdown late on Friday for the day-long fasting and prayers on Yom Kippur, was hit by at least two suspected Hezbollah drones.

One drone intercepted: IDF

A nursing home and an industrial power plant in the city of Herzliya, located 15 km from Tel Aviv, were reportedly hit by the drones. The Israeli military, which confirmed that two aerial drones had been detected crossing from Lebanese territory, said one of them was successfully intercepted and that there had been damage to a building in Herzliya, but no known casualties.

Images and videos posted on social media showed plumes of smoke rising from a building that was hit by the drone.

Israel airstrike in Lebanon

Earlier on Friday, the Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah militants and rocket launchers in southern Lebanon. Officials in Lebanon said at least 22 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the airstrikes in an area that has several foreign embassies and had been largely untouched by the fighting until now.

CREDIT: AP

Why Israel is hitting Lebanon

Lebanon, particularly South Lebanon and the capital Beirut, are strongholds of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shia militant outfit that has been at war with Israel for decades.

Since September, Israel has stepped up its offensive against Hezbollah targets, including its top leadership and its vast cache of ammunition.

Also read:?What is Shebaa Farms, and how its occupation by Israel is intertwined with Hezbollah's existence?

Lebanon caught in a war it is not involved

Israel has also launched air and ground strikes in Lebanon, plunging the impoverished country into near-total financial collapse, even when the war is not against the Lebanese state and its army is not involved.

Also read:?How Lebanon, once a Christian country, became the battleground for Israel and Palestine

CREDIT: AP

PM appeals for demilitarisation?

On Friday, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, urged the two countries to demilitarise the 120 km border as mandated by the UN-brokered deal that ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

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