Beirut, Jul 20 (IANS): A Hezbollah member was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the village of Aitaroun in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese military sources.

The sources said, on condition of anonymity, that Israeli warplanes carried out seven strikes across four villages and towns in the border region, destroying five houses and damaging 13 others on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Hezbollah responded with drone and missile attacks targeting several Israeli positions.

In a statement, the group said its "Islamic Resistance" unit used a new, short-range, heavy missile called the Wabel to target Israeli targets.

Hezbollah claimed the Wabel has "high destructive power and achieves precise hits."

The Israeli military has not commented on the airstrike in Aitaroun.

Tensions have escalated along the Lebanon-Israel border since October 2023, following a Hezbollah rocket attack in solidarity with Hamas and subsequent Israeli retaliation.