Heavy Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire shook the southern city of Nabatiyeh and surrounding towns overnight after Hezbollah launched explosive-laden drones at Israeli troops operating near the strategically significant Ali Taher Ridge, according to the Israeli military.

The escalation spread fear and tension across the Nabatiyeh region, with Israeli warplanes striking civilian areas and artillery pounding several locations around the city.

Shortly after midnight, Israeli aircraft carried out a series of strikes on the Rweis neighborhood of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa, destroying additional homes in the area.

At dawn, Israeli warplanes struck the town of Arabsalim, hitting and destroying a structure belonging to the town's cemetery endowment. The building housed excavation equipment and small carts used in grave-digging operations.

The strike caused extensive damage inside the cemetery, damaging graves and smashing numerous headstones. Windows in dozens of nearby homes were also shattered, while residents reported widespread panic following the attack.

Separately, a drone fired a guided missile at the home of Haidar Houmani, a Scout official with the Risala Scouts, in the Rweis neighborhood of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa. No casualties were reported.

Israeli artillery also maintained heavy and sustained shelling throughout the night, targeting the Ali Taher Heights and the area around Dabsha Hill on the northern outskirts of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa. Other areas hit included the Kfar Rumman grove and the outskirts of Mifdoun and Zawtar al-Sharqiya.

The shelling reportedly included phosphorus munitions, while heavy machine-gun fire swept the outskirts of Zawtar al-Sharqiya on Wednesday morning.

The Israeli military said the strikes followed a Hezbollah attack overnight in which the group launched two explosive drones toward Israeli troops operating at the Ali Taher Ridge.

According to the Israeli army, soldiers shot down one of the drones and no troops were injured.

The Ali Taher Ridge, in the Nabatiyeh area, has become a key flashpoint in the escalating confrontation. Hezbollah is believed by the Israeli military to maintain a major underground facility beneath the ridge, with several operatives still thought to be sheltering inside.

In response to the drone attack, the Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in the Nabatiyeh area that it said had been used to support attacks against Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon and against Israeli civilians.

The strikes were intended to remove what the military described as an immediate threat.

The Israeli army said its forces continued to operate around the Ali Taher Ridge and would not allow Hezbollah fighters in the area to prepare or carry out attacks against its troops.

“The IDF is currently operating and will continue to act with determination against Hezbollah’s repeated attempts to harm IDF soldiers,” the military said.