Militia field commander among four fighters killed in Lebanon strikes

Hezbollah has announced the death of four of its fighters, hours after the leader of the Lebanese militia threatened to retaliate against Israel over the assassination of Hamas deputy leader Saleh Al Arouri.

The four men were killed near Lebanon’s southern city of Naqoura. A local field commander, Hussein Yazbek, was among the dead, Hezbollah said late on Wednesday.

About 170 people, mostly Hezbollah fighters, have been killed in Lebanon since October 8, when the Iran-backed militia and allied Palestinian groups in Lebanon began daily cross-border clashes with Israel.

Israel’s strikes had been limited to the border region until Tuesday, when Mr Al Arouri was killed in a drone strike in Beirut. The attack, which Israel has not claimed responsibility for, is believed to be Israel’s first strike on the capital since 2006, when it fought a monthlong war with Hezbollah.

In a speech on Wednesday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the group was “not afraid of war”, and warned that Mr Al Arouri’s death “will not go unanswered and unpunished”.

“If the enemy thinks of waging a war on Lebanon, we will fight without restraint, without rules, without limits and without restrictions,” he added.

Hezbollah announced it had carried out several strikes on Israeli troops and positions near the border on Wednesday.

Israel said it hit back with artillery. Fighter jets also struck

Hezbollah targets and a tank hit a “terrorist squad” in Lebanon, the military said.

Hezbollah has said its attacks on Israel are being carried out in support of Hamas and the people of Gaza, where Israel has been conducting an air and ground campaign since October 7.