The strikes are among the deepest into Lebanon since the Israel-Hamas war began more than four months ago. They come a day after Israel`s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant vowed to step up attacks on Hezbollah even if a cease-fire is reached with Hamas in the Gaza Strip

The strikes, which came shortly after Hezbollah said its air defences shot down an Israeli drone, are likely to increase tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border as talks for a cease-fire in Gaza are underway

In the afternoon, Hezbollah said it retaliated for the airstrikes near Baalbek by firing 60 Katyusha rockets toward an Israeli army division command in Syria`s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israeli military confirmed that dozens of rockets were launched from Lebanon towards Israel on Monday afternoon

Lebanese security officials said Israel`s air force carried out three airstrikes on the outskirts of the village of Buday, near Baalbek, targeting a convoy of trucks. Buday is a Hezbollah stronghold

A Hezbollah official confirmed that three strikes hit near Baalbek. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to reporters. He said the strikes killed at least two members of the group and that one hit a warehouse for food products that is part of Hezbollah`s Sajjad Project that sells to people in its stronghold at prices lower than on the market

Hezbollah later released the names and photographers of two of its fighters without saying where they were killed. The latest deaths raise to nearly 210 the number of Hezbollah fighters who have been killed since the exchanges of fire along the border began on October 8

A Lebanese army soldier who was off-duty and at home was seriously injured in one of the strikes near Baalbek, a Lebanese official with knowledge of the situation said. The soldier`s son was also injured, added that official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to share information with journalists

The airstrikes near Baalbek occurred less than two hours after Hezbollah said its fighters on Monday shot down an Israeli Elbit Hermes 450 drone over its stronghold in a province in southern Lebanon

Another missile fired by Hezbollah toward the drone was intercepted by Israel, and landed near a synagogue in a town close to Nazareth in northern Israel. There were no injuries or damage