On Monday, an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed two people and injured three others, including a baby, according to the Lebanese civil defense.
Reuters reports that the attack comes as Lebanon braces for Israeli retaliation after a rocket strike over the weekend killed 12 teenagers and children in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The rocket strike hit a sports field.
Israel and the United States have blamed Lebanon's Hezbollah for the Saturday strike, although the group has denied any involvement.
Retaliation Measures
Late Sunday, Israel's security cabinet gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government the authority to decide how and when to respond.
While there are no clear indications of specific actions Israel might take, the country's largest newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, reported that officials hinted at a "limited but significant" response.
Possible options include targeting infrastructure, such as bridges, power plants, and ports, as well as hitting Hezbollah weapons depots or high-level commanders.
In the wake of the drone strike, Lebanon's civil defense did not say whether the dead were fighters or civilians. Meanwhile, the Israeli military reported that its air defenses shot down a drone that had crossed from Lebanon into Western Galilee.
As a precaution, flights at Beirut's international airport have been canceled or delayed, with airlines responding to the potential for further Israeli action.
Fragile Stability at Risk
Since October, Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in a series of confrontations, initially sparked by the Gaza war.
Both sides have tried to avoid a full-scale war.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking in Tokyo on Sunday, reiterated U.S. support for Israel while calling for de-escalation.
"I emphasize Israel's right to defend its citizens and our determination to make sure that they're able to do that," Blinken said. "But we also don't want to see the conflict escalate. We don't want to see it spread."
Although Hezbollah denied responsibility for the rocket that killed the children, the group acknowledged firing a missile at a military target in the Golan Heights. This area, seized by Israel from Syria during the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed, remains a disputed territory.
