Clashes have intensified near Lebanon-Israel border as Iran-backed Hezbollah militants fired several missiles towards northern Israel on Thursday.

Air raid sirens were set off in some northern Israeli cities after Hezbollah’s offensive, Haaretz news website reported.

The Israeli Defense Forces announced that the missiles fell in an unpopulated area.

Meanwhile, Times of Israel reported that Hezbollah militants also targeted an Israeli army position in Dovev in the Upper Galilee near the country’s border with Lebanon.

No casualties were reported in the raid, Times of Israel said.

According to Reuters, Hezbollah confirmed in a statement that it attacked 8 targets in Israel on Thursday, including a group of Israeli soldiers.

The attacks were carried out “in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip," the statement added.

The Israeli army retaliated by shelling some areas in the Lebanese territory, including a site used by the group’s fighters to launch anti-tank missiles.

Israeli air strikes hit “a dozen villages” in southern Lebanon, Reuters quoted a Lebanese security official as saying.

According to the official, today has been one of the most violent days in clashes between Hezbollah and Israel since the beginning of the conflict on October 7.

The clashes near Israel-Lebanon have so far claimed the lives of 70 Hezbollah fighters and 10 civilians in Lebanon. Moreover, 7 soldiers and 3 civilians lost their lives in Israel during the exchanges of fire.

Last week, Israel defense minister Yoav Gallant threatened a heavy cost for the Lebanese if Hezbollah “crossed the red line.” 

Tehran openly supports Hezbollah and its other proxy groups but maintains that they all act independently, avoiding direct responsibility for their military operations against Israel and American interests in the region.