Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that an Israeli air raid targeted the area between the towns of Shamaa and Tair Harfa, killing three individuals and injuring five others on Thursday, August 1. The Lebanese Ministry of Health indicated that both Lebanese and Syrians were killed. Lebanese Al-Jadeed channel reported that five Syrians from one family, including a mother and her four children, were killed in the raid.
The Israeli military also conducted airstrikes on the town of Kafr Kila and flew over the city of Hermel and surrounding border villages, extending to the city of Tyre. This marks the second instance within a month where Syrians have been killed by Israeli bombings in southern Lebanon. On July 17, an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon murdered Syrians, including three children.
Earlier in the year, on February 14, an Israeli airstrike in the town of Al-Sawwanah killed a Syrian woman, her Lebanese husband, and their two children. Four days prior, three Syrian refugees were injured in Israeli raids.
The Lebanese border has experienced escalating tensions between Hezbollah and Israeli forces since October 2023. This increase in hostilities comes in the wake of the assassination of Hezbollah military leader Fouad Shukr in a July 30 raid on Beirut’s southern suburbs and the killing of the head of the Hamas political bureau in Tehran on the same day.
In addition to these incidents, an Israeli airstrike targeted a truck carrying fuel on the road linking Syria and Lebanon on August 3, injuring a Syrian driver. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that Israeli raids targeted Syrian territory near the Lebanese border, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Hezbollah has responded with daily attacks on Israeli military sites along the border since October 8, 2023, citing support for Gaza amid ongoing Israeli aggression. In retaliation, Israeli forces have bombed multiple areas in southern Lebanon using warplanes, heavy machine gun fire, and incendiary bombs. Hezbollah announced the destruction of an Israeli spy site in Ramia and launched Katyusha rockets at the Beit Hillal settlement in Upper Galilee, prompting warning sirens in several areas.
The conflict has intensified following the recent assassinations, with Hezbollah expected to respond to Israel’s actions. Saturday, August 3, an alleged Israeli drone strike targeted a car on the Damascus-Beirut road, approximately five kilometers from Dimas. Social media footage showed smoke rising from a burning vehicle, though official Syrian sources have not confirmed the incident.
The strike bears similarities to a previous attack on July 15, where Syrian businessman Baraa Ahmed Qaterji was killed in an Israeli airstrike near the Syrian-Lebanese border. Qaterji, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qaterji Group and a prominent economic figure linked to the Assad regime was targeted in a manner that drew significant attention due to his status and the precision of the attack.
An online activist and analyst “Samir,” posted on X that the recent strike involved an Israeli drone. This attack follows a pattern of precise, high-profile assassinations attributed to Israeli operations, targeting individuals and assets linked to the Assad regime and its allies.
Regime media has largely ignored these bombings, including recent Israeli strikes in the Homs countryside. Instead, reporting has focused on minor details, such as vehicle fires without acknowledging the potential involvement of Israeli forces. This silence contrasts with the broader media coverage and raises questions about Assad’s strategy in addressing Israeli incursions.
 reported that an Israeli air raid targeted the area between the towns of Shamaa and Tair Harfa, killing three individuals and injuring five others on Thursday, August 1.){kind=link}