The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said more than 100 rockets were fired at Israel from Lebanon.

Israel says it has struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon after the militant group fired dozens of rockets towards northern Israel overnight.

There were reports of damage to homes in Israel and Hezbollah rockets fell deeper into Israel than before, near the port city of Haifa. Hezbollah said it had struck military targets.

The Israeli military warned that air strikes against Hezbollah “will continue and intensify”.

The latest escalation follows attacks on Hezbollah’s pagers and radios last week – and on Friday, Israel said its airstrike in Beirut killed dozens of senior Hezbollah commanders. Lebanon said 45 people, including three children, were killed.

Sirens sounded in large parts of northern Israel early Sunday morning. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said more than 100 rockets were fired across the border overnight.

Another 85 ships were then launched the following morning, the report said.

Video posted online, which has not yet been verified by the BBC, appears to show a fire in a residential area near Haifa.

Dozens of Israeli warplanes began “wide-ranging strikes” on southern Lebanon on Saturday “after detecting Hezbollah preparing to fire towards Israeli territory,” said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Before the Israeli airstrikes began in the evening, the IDF had previously claimed that it had destroyed “some 180 sites and thousands of [rocket] grenade launcher barrel” with bullets attached.

No further details were immediately available about the Israeli airstrike on Sunday.

Earlier this week, 39 people were killed and thousands injured after pagers and walkie-talkies were used by Hezbollah, the influential Iran-backed political group. exploded for two days across Lebanon.

On Thursday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah blamed Israel for the attacks, saying Israel had crossed “every red line” and vowing “fair punishment”.

Israel has yet to accept responsibility.

UN human rights chief Volker Türk said the explosion of pagers and walkie-talkies violated international humanitarian law.

Also on Sunday morning, the IDF announced an expansion of restrictions on communities in northern Israel and some areas of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, effective from 20:30 local time (17:30 GMT) the night before.

The IDF’s Home Front Command limits gatherings to 10 people in open areas and 100 people in closed spaces. Educational activities can continue and people can go to work as long as there is a protected space.

These restrictions apply to the Haifa area and the north.

Amid growing concerns that the conflict could erupt into all-out war, the US State Department has issued a new travel advisory for citizens currently in Lebanon.

The US embassy in Beirut has urged people to “leave Lebanon while commercial options remain”.

The embassy added that it “may not be able to assist US citizens who choose to remain.”

The foreign ministry of neighboring Jordan also issued similar advice to its citizens, urging those in Lebanon to leave as soon as possible.

Cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalated on October 8, 2023 – a day after an attack on Israel by Hamas gunmen from Gaza – when Hezbollah opened fire on Israeli positions.

Israel has recently added the return of displaced people from the north of the country. due to cross-border war on his list of war targets.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Thursday that Israel is entering a “new phase of the war” focus more efforts on the north.