Beirut, Sep 21 (IANS): Israel launched a series of airstrikes on towns and villages in southern and eastern Lebanon on Saturday afternoon, prompting Hezbollah's retaliatory bombing at northern Israel, according to Lebanese military sources.

The sources, who spoke anonymously, told Xinhua that Israeli warplanes carried out about 50 airstrikes in less than half an hour, more intense than previous airstrikes, targeting "Hezbollah sites and the outskirts of dozens of towns and villages in southern and eastern Lebanon."

Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced in separate statements that in response to the Israeli airstrikes, the group has attacked several bases and sites in northern Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The Islamic Resistance fighters targeted on Saturday the Northern Command's air defense missile system at Berea Barracks with Katyusha rockets," and "bombed the headquarters for reconnaissance force of Golani Brigade 631 at Ramot Naftali Barracks with a salvo of Katyusha rockets and attacked the Jal al-Alam Israeli site, located between the towns of Alma Al-Shaab and Naqoura, with artillery shells," it said.

Tension along the Israel-Lebanon border has escalated sharply following communication device explosions across Lebanon earlier this week that killed 37 and injured 2,931, as well as an Israeli airstrike on Friday targeting a building in the Jamous area in the southern suburbs of Beirut that killed at least 31 and injured 66.

These developments marked the latest escalation of ongoing conflict on the Israel-Lebanon border that began on Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, prompting Israel's retaliatory artillery fire and airstrikes into southeastern Lebanon. The conflict has already caused heavy casualties and displaced tens of thousands on both sides.