Lebanon, 22 April (H.S.):

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching rockets and attack drones at a northern Israeli military site on Tuesday, marking the first reported retaliation since a 10-day ceasefire took hold last Friday. The group cited repeated Israeli ceasefire violations, including artillery shelling on southern Lebanese towns, civilian attacks, and the destruction of homes near the border, as justification for its defensive strike.

The Israeli military confirmed intercepting a drone from Lebanon before it entered Israeli airspace and reported Hezbollah rockets targeting troops in southern Lebanon, prompting an immediate counterstrike on the launch site. Lebanon's National News Agency documented ongoing Israeli artillery fire and demolitions in border villages, with a prior drone strike wounding six in a southern town.

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz affirmed that troops would deploy full force against threats, invoking truce terms that permit action against imminent attacks, even as soldiers remain active in southern Lebanon following major strikes initiated after Hezbollah joined Iran's regional campaign on March 2.

This flare-up coincides with U.S. President Donald Trump's indefinite extension of a separate ceasefire with Iran, requested by Pakistan's leadership to allow Tehran time to submit a unified peace proposal amid its reportedly fractured government. The Hormuz Strait blockade persists, with U.S. forces recently seizing an Iranian vessel attempting to breach it, underscoring unresolved naval tensions despite the truce.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar