Lebanon Targets Israeli Mountain Base in Largest Air Attack: Tens of Thousands of Residents Displaced

Lebanon's Hezbollah movement launched its "largest" air operation on Sunday, targeting a mountaintop Israeli military intelligence base in the annexed Golan Heights with explosive drones. 

This incident marks a significant escalation in the ongoing cross-border exchanges of fire that have raised global alarm.

Hezbollah, an Iran-backed ally of Hamas, has been engaged in almost daily exchanges of fire with Israeli forces since the Palestinian militant group's attack on Israel on October 7, which ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. 

Announcing the major operation, Hezbollah stated that its fighters dispatched "multiple, successive squadrons of drones to target the reconnaissance centre" on Mount Hermon.

The Israeli military reported that an explosive drone "fell in an open area in the Mount Hermon area," with no injuries reported. 

The attack, which Hezbollah described as part of its "response" to the killing of an operative in a strike deep into east Lebanon, targeted intelligence systems, allegedly destroying them and igniting a significant fire.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant visited troops on Mount Hermon earlier on Sunday.

In response to the drone attack, Israeli air defences "successfully intercepted" several "aerial targets" that crossed from Lebanon, following sirens sounding in the Golan Heights area.

Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and later annexed it, a move largely unrecognized by the international community. 

The Israeli strike on Saturday that precipitated Hezbollah's drone attack reportedly killed "a key operative in Hezbollah's Aerial Defence Unit."

Throughout Sunday, Hezbollah announced four additional attacks on Israeli military sites across the border, utilizing rockets and guided missiles. 

Israeli authorities reported four wounded in these assaults. In a video from Mount Hermon, Gallant asserted that "even if there is a ceasefire" in Gaza, "we will continue fighting and doing everything necessary to bring about the desired result" in the campaign against Hezbollah.

The escalating cross-border violence has resulted in significant casualties and displacement. 

At least 497 people in Lebanon have been killed, including fighters and 95 civilians, according to an AFP tally. 

On the Israeli side, the conflict has claimed the lives of at least 16 soldiers and 11 civilians. 

The violence has also forced tens of thousands of residents to flee from border areas in both southern Lebanon and northern Israel, creating a humanitarian crisis.

As the situation intensifies, the international community watches with concern, fearing that the conflict could spiral into an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, reminiscent of their 2006 war. 

The ongoing hostilities underscore the fragile and volatile nature of the region, where any single incident has the potential to ignite widespread conflict.