SHEAR YASHUV, Israel — A missile fired by the Lebanese Hezbollah group struck an Israeli military convoy Wednesday, an apparent retaliation for a deadly airstrike attributed to Israel that killed six Hezbollah fighters in Syria earlier this month.
Israel reported unspecified casualties from the attack, and its military said it responded with aerial and ground attacks on Hezbollah positions, including at least 50 artillery shells according to Lebanese officials. A Spanish peacekeeper was killed in southern Lebanon in the border flare-up.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would respond "forcefully."
In a statement, Hezbollah said its fighters destroyed a number of Israeli vehicles that were carrying Israeli officers and soldiers and caused casualties among "enemy ranks."
It said the attack was carried out by a group calling itself the "heroic martyrs of Quneitra," suggesting it was in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike on the Golan Heights on Jan. 18 that killed six Hezbollah fighters and an Iranian general.
Ever since, Israel has braced for a response to the strike, beefing up its air defenses and increasing surveillance along its northern frontier.
The Israeli military said an anti-tank missile hit an Israeli military vehicle near Mount Dov and Chebaa Farms, a disputed tract of land where the borders of Israel, Lebanon and Syria meet.