Israel launched airstrikes on southern Lebanon overnight, saying the assault was retaliation for shots fired by Hezbollah into Israel. No Israeli soldiers were injured in the alleged border incursion. But residents of the Lebanese border town of Houla reported their homes were damaged by an intense Israeli bombardment.

Hassan Hamdan: “First they lit up incendiary flares. Then they started with white phosphorus lights. Then it was something like cluster bombs that exploded when they hit the ground. And then it was all over. It was unbelievable how much they struck. We almost suffocated from the smoke.”

Israel’s assault on southern Lebanon followed 16 straight days of attacks on the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian militants have launched incendiary balloons into southern Israel.