Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has launched attacks on Israeli military positions amid reports on the most fierce Israeli atrocities targeting southern Lebanon during the past weeks.

Lebanon's Arabic-language al-Manar television channel, citing a Hezbollah statement released on Saturday, reported that the group conducted multiple strikes on Jal al-Alam, al-Jardah, Hadb al-Bustan, Malkiya and Metula outposts along the border between Lebanon and the 1948 Israeli-occupied territories.

Moreover, the Lebanese resistance fighters downed an Israeli surveillance balloon that was floating over the kibbutz of Misgav Am close to the border with Lebanon.

A Lebanese source said Hezbollah had fired a powerful missile, dubbed Burkan (Volcano), used for the first time in the fighting, saying it had hit an Israeli position across the border from the villages of Ayta al-Shaab and Rmeich.

The Israeli military, in response to the missile and artillery attacks, struck a number of Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.

Al-Mayadeen TV reported that the Israeli military launched airstrikes in al-Mari, Tayr Harfa, and Ayta al-Shaab villages. The military also launched artillery strikes against the villages of Aitaroun, Ayta al-Shaab, Ramyah, Aalma ech Chaab, Yarine and Umm al-Tut, as well as al-Labbouneh and al-Hamames areas and the outskirts of Naqourah town.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Saturday that his comrades are part of the Palestinian battle against the Zionist entity.

“We do not see any difference between the liberation of Palestinian territories, Lebanese lands and any other area occupied by Israel,” Sheikh Qassem said.

He went on to sharply criticize certain Western countries for supporting the Tel Aviv regime, stressing that they must stop the Israeli onslaught on Gaza.

Sheikh Qassem underscored that Hezbollah is actively thwarting Israeli plots, calling on Western statesmen to stop the Gaza war before it spills over to other areas in West Asia.

“We will remain united and work collectively for the growth of the resistance front. We will pay the price whenever necessary.”

Sheikh Qassem stressed that no one can ask Hezbollah to stay away from the battle since it is part of the Axis of Resistance.

He stressed that Operation al-Aqsa Storm is the prelude to Israel’s demise, adding that time will tell how deep is the impact of retaliatory attacks on the regime.

Sheikh Qassem emphasized that the US administration is responsible for the Israeli barbarism in Gaza, adding that the West has morally collapsed due to its support of the Israeli aggression on the Strip.