BEIRUT: Hezbollah said it launched an attack on northern Israel on Tuesday in retaliation for what it said were Israeli violations of a 10-day ceasefire, the first such claim since the truce began.
Hezbollah said in a statement that its fighters launched rockets and attack drones at a site in northern Israel that it said was the source of artillery shelling towards a south Lebanon town.
It said the move came "in defence of Lebanon and its people, and in response to the blatant" Israeli ceasefire violations including "attacks on civilians and the destruction of their homes and villages".
The Israeli military said Tuesday that Hezbollah "launched several rockets" towards soldiers stationed in south Lebanon and that the military struck the launcher in response.
It also said sirens had sounded in two northern Israeli communities after a drone fired from Lebanon was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory.
Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli artillery shelling in several locations in the country's south on Tuesday.
It also said the Israeli army was continuing to blow up homes and infrastructure in several villages near the border, after reporting similar destruction in previous days.
On Monday, the NNA said an Israeli drone strike hit a town in the country's south, with the health ministry saying six people were wounded.
Israel conducted huge strikes across Lebanon and invaded the south after Hezbollah entered the Middle East war in support of its backer Iran on March 2.
Despite the truce which began on Friday, Israeli soldiers are still active in south Lebanon, with Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz saying on Sunday that troops would use "full force" if threatened.
Under the truce terms, Israel reserves the right to act against "planned, imminent or ongoing attacks".
