BEIRUT: Hezbollah group said it fired a new wave of rockets and drones at the Zionist army on Thursday, after a Zionist strike killed one of its senior commanders. It was Hezbollah's largest simultaneous attack in near-daily cross-border fire between it and the Zionist army since the war on Gaza.

Hezbollah fighters launched "an attack with rockets and drones, targeting six barracks and military sites" while simultaneously flying "squadrons of explosive-laden drones" at three other Zionist bases, the group said in a statement. One of the targets included a Zionist base that Hezbollah said housed an intelligence headquarters "responsible for the assassinations".

Hezbollah said the attacks were "part of the response to the assassination" of Hezbollah commander Taleb Abdallah on Tuesday. The Zionist army said about "40 projectiles were launched toward the Galilee and Golan Heights area," adding most were intercepted while others ignited fires. The Zionist government vowed to respond strongly to all Hezbollah attacks.

"(Zionist entity) will respond with force to all aggressions by Hezbollah," government spokesman David Mencer said during a press briefing. "Whether through diplomatic efforts or otherwise, the Zionist entity will restore security on our northern border," he added. In recent weeks, cross-border exchanges have escalated, with Hezbollah stepping up its use of drones to attack Zionist military positions and the Zionist entity hitting back with targeted strikes against the militants.

On Wednesday, top Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine vowed the group would "increase the intensity, strength, quantity and quality of our attacks," while speaking at Abdallah's funeral. The Zionist army confirmed it carried out the strike that "eliminated" Abdallah on Tuesday, describing him as "one of Hezbollah's most senior commanders in southern Lebanon".

A Lebanese military source said he was the "most important" Hezbollah commander to have been killed since the start of the war. The cross-border violence has killed at least 468 people in Lebanon, most of them fighters but also including 89 civilians, according to an AFP tally. Zionist authorities say at least 15 Zionist soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed. — AFP