Israel attacks Hezbollah fighters inside south Lebanon mosque

The Israeli military said Saturday its forces struck Hezbollah fighters inside a south Lebanon mosque overnight, the first such strike since clashes erupted between Israel and the militants last year.

“Overnight, with the direction of IDF (army) intelligence, the IAF (air force) struck Hezbollah terrorists who were operating within a command centre that was located inside a mosque adjacent to the Salah Ghandour Hospital in southern Lebanon,” the military said in a statement.

“The command centre was used by the Hezbollah terrorists to plan and execute terrorist attacks against IDF troops and the state of Israel.”

The Salah Ghandour Hospital, which is run by the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee, said nine of its medical and nursing staff were wounded by heavy strikes, most of them seriously, after it received an Israeli warning to evacuate.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that the grounds of the hospital in the southern town of Bint Jbeil were “subjected to Israeli shelling”.

The hospital’s director Mohammed Sleiman told AFP it took a direct hit and was evacuated.