Hezbollah Fires Barrage of Rockets and Projectiles at Israel in Response to Israeli Strikes on Command Centers
Hezbollah fired a barrage of around 250 rockets and other projectiles at Israel on Sunday in response to Israeli strikes on the group’s command centers in Beirut. The Israeli military said the Hezbollah attacks were one of the group’s heaviest barrages in months, with some rockets reaching the Tel Aviv area in the heart of Israel.
In response to the attacks, Israel launched airstrikes at an army center in southern Lebanon, killing a Lebanese soldier and wounding 18 others, according to the Lebanese military. The Israeli military said the strike occurred in an area of combat against Hezbollah and that its operations were directed solely against the militants.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began after a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip, which was carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Hezbollah has portrayed the attacks as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians and Hamas, and has been firing rockets, missiles, and drones into Israel in response.
The conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 3,700 people in Lebanon, according to the Health Ministry, and has displaced around 1.2 million people, or a quarter of Lebanon’s population. On the Israeli side, about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have been killed by bombardment and battle, with over 60,000 Israelis displaced from the country’s north.
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, condemned the latest strike as an assault on US-led cease-fire efforts, calling it a “direct, bloody message rejecting all efforts and ongoing contacts” to end the war.