Expansion of the Battlefield to Southern Lebanon; Hezbollah Reports the Death of Three Members

Gunfire exchange between Hezbollah Lebanon and the Israeli army in the late hours of Monday, October 9, resulted in the death of three Hezbollah operatives. According to CNN, Hezbollah officials confirmed the death of three of their members during an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon and announced that in response, "Islamic resistance groups" fired guided missiles towards Israel, targeting the Israeli army's Pranit base and Avivim base. The National News Agency of Lebanon also reported that following the Israeli attack in southern Lebanon, several houses and shops in the area were damaged, and some local residents fled towards the city of Sidon, 60 kilometers from the border. The Lebanese army announced that the suburbs of "Al-Da'ira" and "Aita al-Shaab" and other border areas were under air and artillery bombardment, urging citizens to stay away from adjacent border areas. The Times of Israel reported on Monday that the Israeli army targeted Hezbollah positions in response to Hezbollah's mortar attack on northern Israel, killing three of its members. According to the report, the Hezbollah mortar attack did not cause any damage, but Israeli forces killed three individuals after engaging with armed men who had infiltrated from Lebanon into Israel. A White House official stated: "We cannot confirm that the Islamic Republic was directly involved in Hamas's attack on Israel."