Israel claims to have hit Hezbollah positions in Lebanon after drone attack on Mount Hermon

The Israeli military said in a statement early Monday that it had launched several air and artillery strikes overnight on alleged Hezbollah military targets in Lebanon.

The attacks came after the Iran-backed militant group said on Sunday it had launched a drone attack on Mount Hermon in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

Israel has important surveillance, espionage and air defense facilities on Mount Hermon, which overlooks the Syrian capital.

Hezbollah said it was its first such bombing since October 8, a day after Hamas attacked southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Hezbollah said it would not cease operations until the war was over.

Although Hezbollah had repeatedly struck other areas in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, it said this was the first time a military target had been hit on the highest elevation of the Israeli-controlled territory.