IDF says drone strike kills four who attempted to place bomb at Lebanon border

Oct. 17 (UPI) -- A drone strike Tuesday killed four people that Israeli military officials said were attempting to blow up a gate along the border with Lebanon in the small town of Metula.

The thwarted border attack led to a barrage of new artillery shelling and missile fire between the Israeli military and armed guerrillas in southern Lebanon, raising concerns that Israel's ongoing war with the militant group Hamas would soon spread throughout the Middle East.

It was the latest in a series of firefights to erupt in the region, and happened overnight Tuesday after Israeli surveillance spotted the small squad in southern Lebanon as they approached the Israeli border with an explosive device that was intended to breach a border fence, which would create an entry point for militants to enter the country, Israel Defense Forces said.

Later footage showed an Israeli drone swooping into the region from the air and spraying gunfire that killed the four suspects on site.

Hours after the deadly encounter, anti-tank missiles were fired into Israel from Lebanon, which left three people hospitalized and forced the evacuation of 28 Israeli border communities, including Metula and Hanita.

The Lebanese terror group Hezbollah reportedly claimed responsibility for guided missile strikes that also hit a number of Israeli military posts along the border.

Hamas was also known to have operatives in Lebanon, raising the possibility of their involvement in the escalating hostilities, which has prompted Israel to take action against their military infrastructure alongside Hezbollah's.

The Israeli military said it fired on enemy targets belonging to the Hamas and other Jihad terrorist organizations inside Lebanon, with fighter jets striking a Hamas terrorist headquarters and killing a Hamas military operative overnight.

Israeli defense officials warned that ongoing hostilities could bring Israel and Lebanon to the brink of war.

"If Hezbollah makes a mistake, we will respond with great force," said IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari after the latest attempt to strike the border. "Lebanon should ask itself whether it wants to endanger itself for Islamic State terrorists in Gaza."

The escalation came after Israel on Monday announced that residents living in 28 communities within 1.2 miles of the Lebanese border would be evacuated to state-funded guesthouses.