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The Israeli defense forces increased attacks on southern and eastern Lebanon during the night into Saturday while maintaining their confrontation with Hezbollah fighters in the region.

The bombing campaign escalated on Friday night as Israeli forces attacked the town of Nabi Chit in the eastern Baalbek region at least 12 times, according to Hezbollah, which claimed that Israeli troops entered the town by air.

On Saturday, Lebanon’s health ministry reported that the attacks had resulted in at least 41 fatalities. “The sequence of operations conducted by the Israeli adversary on the town of Nabi Chit and nearby areas within the Baalbek region led to the death of 41 residents and injuries to 40 others,” the ministry stated.

Lebanon’s armed forces stated that three of their personnel were killed “due to the intense enemy shelling that occurred during” a special operations mission conducted by Israeli troops.

As reported by Lebanon’s official media, Israeli troops entered the eastern Lebanese village of Nabi Chit late on Friday and were confronted by fighters from the militant Hezbollah organization, leading to a firefight that continued into the early morning hours of Saturday.

Later Saturday, the Lebanese health ministry reported that six more individuals had died, among them four children, in an event connected to an independent Israeli attack on the town of Shmistar in eastern Lebanon.

Israel later verified that it attacked Hezbollah positions in southern and eastern Lebanon, asserting that it had eliminated commanders and targeted military facilities such as command centers.

Lebanon is now caught in the growing conflict across the Middle East, following Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned group, launching missiles toward Israel on Monday in retaliation for the death of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.

Israel claims it initiated an operation to find the missing pilot.

The Israeli defense forces claim that their elite units carried out a mission deep within Lebanon, aiming to collect details regarding an Israeli pilot who has been unaccounted for almost four decades.

As part of the IDF’s operations in Lebanon, special forces conducted an overnight mission to search for evidence connected to the missing pilot Ron Arad. The Israeli military stated that no casualties were reported.

No evidence connected to him was found at the location of the search.

Air force pilot Arad has been missing since he was taken prisoner after ejecting from his fighter jet over Lebanon in 1986 when the plane crashed.

Arad is believed to have died, although his body has never been recovered.

The Israeli military stated in its announcement that it “will keep operating nonstop, around the clock, driven by a strong dedication to return all of Israel’s sons, the fallen and those unaccounted for, back to the State of Israel.”

Following their landing and exit from the aircraft, the advancing forces “came under attack” by a group of Hezbollah fighters when they arrived at a cemetery in Nabi Chit, according to Hezbollah.

“The conflict intensified following the exposure of the enemy forces,” it stated, noting that Israeli soldiers carried out fierce attacks before withdrawing.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz cautioned Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Saturday that his nation would face a “significant cost” if it does not disband Hezbollah.

Speaking to the president, Katz stated in a press release aired on Israeli television that if “the decision involves safeguarding our citizens and the security of our troops or Lebanon, we will opt to protect our civilians and our soldiers, and the Lebanese government and Lebanon itself will face a significant consequence.”

The UN’s special envoy for Lebanon called on Lebanon and Israel to begin discussions on Saturday to seek a resolution to the ongoing conflict.

“Although things are bad today, they are expected to become even worse,” Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert stated.

Discussions between Lebanon and Israel have the potential to be a turning point that could prevent future generations from experiencing the same suffering repeatedly.