Hezbollah fires a series of rockets at Israel after a deadly attack in Beirut
The Israeli military said about 250 rockets were fired across the border from Lebanon by Hezbollah, marking one of the heaviest bombardments of Israel since fighting intensified in September.
Israeli police said several people were injured and buildings were damaged in northern and central Israel, some of them near Tel Aviv.
Attacks followed an Israeli air strike on central Beirut on Saturday, in which Lebanon’s Health Ministry said 29 people had died.
Also on Sunday, Israeli media widely reported that Israel and Lebanon were moving toward a ceasefire agreement to end fighting with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia.
Following reports of heavy fire from Lebanon, Israeli police said they had received reports of rocket debris falling in the Tel Aviv area.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said a direct attack on a neighborhood left “houses in flames and ruins”.
Israeli media reported that the rocket fell in Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv and some northern areas: Haifa, Nahariya and Kfar Blum.
Hezbollah, which previously said it would respond to attacks on Beirut by targeting Tel Aviv, said it had launched precision missiles at two military sites in the city and nearby.
Later, the IDF said it had completed attacks on 12 Hezbollah command centers in Dahieh, the group’s stronghold on the southern outskirts of Beirut.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry on Sunday raised the death toll from 20 to 29 after a major Israeli strike launched without warning on central Beirut. It said a total of 84 people were killed in the country on Saturday.
The IDF has not commented on Saturday’s attack, but Israeli media reported at the time that it was an attempt to kill Mohammed Haydar, a top Hezbollah official.
Israel’s stated goal in the fight against Hezbollah is to allow the return of some 60,000 residents who have been displaced from communities in northern Israel because of the group’s attacks.
In Lebanon, more than 3,670 people have been killed and at least 15,400 injured since October 2023, with more than a million people forced to flee their homes, according to Lebanese authorities.
Over the past two weeks, Israel has intensified its campaign against Hezbollah.
On Sunday, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, citing Israeli and US officials, reported that Israel had given the “green light” to move forward with the US-proposed ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, but pointed out that There are still some gaps.