BEIRUT: Hezbollah said it fired a series of rockets at northern Israel on Sunday, a day after it declared various areas in the region a “legitimate target” due to the presence of Israeli forces.
The Lebanese group, at war with Israel since September, said it had fired a “large rocket salvo” at a military facility north of Haifa, targeting a base associated with “military industries.”
The group has previously targeted similar defence facilities and military bases around Haifa since late September, alongside recent rocket attacks on Nahariya and drone strikes near Acre, all located north of Haifa.
On Saturday, Hezbollah called for the evacuation of more than 20 locations in northern Israel, claiming these areas had now “become legitimate military targets.”
Meanwhile, Israel has intensified its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, with heavy bombardments continuing on Sunday one day after its air strikes on Iran raised fears of a broader regional war.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, at least eight people were killed and 25 others injured in an Israeli airstrike near Sidon, a coastal city in southern Lebanon.
Israel’s military urged residents of multiple villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate, warning of impending strikes on Hezbollah targets. However, there was no specific mention of Haret Saida, a suburb of Sidon impacted by these air raids.
The National News Agency of Lebanon reported severe damage in Nabatiyeh, where an Israeli strike demolished a house, damaged surrounding buildings and shops, and destroyed dozens of cars.
The Israeli military said that 70 people had been killed, with 120 targets struck in southern Lebanon, as well as additional sites in Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold.
In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 40 people over the past day, according to witnesses and correspondents, as Israel’s intensified air and ground campaigns continued in the north.
The UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, has described Gaza’s situation as facing its “darkest hour.” According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 42,924 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the ongoing Israeli bombardment campaign in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
The Israeli operation in Lebanon, ongoing since late September, has devastated several areas as ground incursions and airstrikes across southern Lebanon. Sunday’s strikes targeted cities such as Tyre and Nabatiyeh, with smoke filling the skies over Beirut after an overnight assault.
Lebanon’s death toll has reached at least 1,615 since September 23, according to media reports, though actual numbers may be higher due to data gaps.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel’s airstrikes on Iran had “achieved all of its objectives,” downplaying immediate escalation. Iran, however, responded firmly.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acknowledged the attack on social media, calling for Iran to show its “strength, will, and initiative” to make Israel “understand” the resilience of the Iranian people.
World powers, concerned about potential escalation, urged both Iran and Israel to de-escalate after Israeli airstrikes reportedly damaged Iranian missile factories and military facilities.
Iran’s military, though retaining its “right to respond,” stated it is prioritizing a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon. Iranian officials minimized the damage from the strikes, asserting that only a few radar systems were affected. The US has warned Tehran against retaliating.
Amid calls for restraint, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir described the strikes as merely an “opening blow,” while opposition leader Yair Lapid said Iran “should have paid a much heavier price.”
Israel justified its strikes in response to an October 1 attack where Iran reportedly launched 200 missiles toward Israel, mostly intercepted, though one strike caused a fatality.
