The Israeli army said Monday that air raid sirens were activated across central Israel, including the commercial hub of Tel Aviv, as projectiles were fired across the border from Lebanon. The military says, “At this stage, no casualties have been reported” and that its air force intercepted the rockets, which landed in open areas.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the rocket barrage, which came a day after Israel launched massive airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. The strikes killed a senior Hezbollah official and displaced thousands of people. The airstrikes were the latest in a year of intense cross-border fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, which has left over 42,100 people dead, mostly civilians, since a war last summer that focused on Gaza.
Israel’s prime minister arrived in New York on Sunday for a meeting of world leaders to discuss the crisis, and U.S. officials are pressing both sides to accept a plan for a 21-day cease-fire to allow diplomacy to work and prevent a full-scale war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was concerned about a potential conflict with Hezbollah but said he would not stop his campaign against the militant group until it accepted the truce.
The Israel Defense Forces hit some 280 Hezbollah targets in northern Lebanon on Tuesday, and Hezbollah responded with a series of rocket attacks against northern communities, including the city of Nahariya. The IDF has accused Hezbollah of firing “terrorist rockets toward densely populated areas” and warned residents to remain alert but did not provide details about any injuries or damage caused by the projectiles.
Israeli officials have discussed a possible ground invasion of Hezbollah’s northern territory to drive the Iranian-backed group away from the border and have moved thousands of troops north in preparation. The clashes have also heightened tensions in the wider region, where many analysts say the Middle East is teetering on the brink of all-out war.
Hezbollah claims that it can hit significant population centers in Israel with rockets and has promised retaliation for a wave of explosions that killed pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members. The retaliation has been swift, as Hezbollah launched 150 rockets and missiles into northern Israel early Sunday, a sharp increase in escalation from previous volleys.
