Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill seven as Hezbollah targets Iron Dome with drone attack

Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon killed seven people, prompting Hezbollah to retaliate with a drone attack targeting Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system in northern Israel. The escalating violence further undermines the fragile ceasefire that has been in place along the Israeli-Lebanese border. Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shia militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, has been engaged in cross-border exchanges with Israeli forces since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. The Iron Dome is Israel's primary short-range air defense system designed to intercept rockets, mortars, and other projectiles.