Lebanon’s Hizbullah launched a rocket targeting Mossad headquarters near Tel Aviv, which it says was responsible for assassinating its leaders and blowing up pagers and walkie-talkies used by the group, in a new escalation.
Warning sirens sounded in Israel’s economic capital as a single surface-to-surface missile was intercepted by air defence systems after it was detected crossing from Lebanon, the Israeli military said.
Air strikes from Israel’s army into Lebanon continued overnight as the death toll from the conflict steadily rises.
The death toll mounted in Lebanon on Tuesday as Israel pledged to continue air strikes against Hizbullah.
At least 558 people have been killed since Monday – including 50 children and 94 women – and 1,835 wounded, Lebanon’s health ministry said.
Tens of thousands have fled their homes. The Lebanese government said that there were close to 30,000 displaced people sheltering in schools across the country.
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the conflict.
Israel’s offensive against Iran-backed Hizbullah has raised concerns that 11 months of conflict between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza will spread throughout the region.
[ Lebanon: ‘Those who can afford to leave are leaving’Opens in new window ]
Israel is shifting its focus from Gaza to its northern border with Lebanon, where Hizbullah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas.
On Tuesday afternoon, Israel carried out what it called a “targeted” air strike in the Hizbullah stronghold of Dahiye in southern Beirut – the third time Israel has hit Lebanon’s capital city in less than a week. Israel’s military later claimed that it had killed Ibrahim Qubaisi, said to be the senior commander in charge of Hizbullah’s missiles and rocket division. Lebanon’s health ministry said six people were killed and 15 injured in the strike.
Hizbullah has also continued to launch missiles across the border between Lebanon and Israel. It said on Wednesday that it launched a rocket targeting Mossad headquarters near Tel Aviv, which it says was responsible for assassinating its leaders and blowing up pagers and walkie talkies. Warning sirens sounded in Israel’s economic capital Tel Aviv as a single surface-to-surface missile was intercepted by air defence systems after it was detected crossing from Lebanon, the Israeli military said. No Israeli casualties have been reported.
Israel has made a war priority of securing its northern border and allowing for the return of residents who have been displaced by conflict. While Israel’s military said it wanted to ensure the return of 60,000 Israelis to the north, nearly twice as many Lebanese people had been displaced before the current escalation.
Speaking on the phone from the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon’s east, Elias Maalouf, owner of Chateau Rayak winery, told The Irish Times that a building about 20m away from his property was hit on Monday, causing a huge amount of damage to his home and business. He and his elderly father survived uninjured because they were in the “only spot in the house that wasn’t damaged”.
“For us, if there’s a Hizbullah military base [nearby] or anything, how would you know? What seemed to be a normal house in front of our winery ended up being a shelter for Hizbullah,” Mr Maalouf said.
He paused as what sounded like a loud explosion could be heard in the background. “They haven’t stopped bombing since yesterday. Every half an hour we hear bombs falling around.”
Mr Maalouf believes there are “many, many, many” casualties in his area, and said people came to his property searching for missing bodies at one point. “Nobody knew where [the corpses] were.”
The 43 year old sent his wife and three small children to a safer location in western Lebanon after hearing through the media that their area might be hit. He said he would still continue to pick “and squish” grapes this week, while sheltering in his “broken house” whenever there were new strikes.
“It’s winemaking season now, so I can’t leave,” he said. “Just like a militant has to go to his duty, it’s my duty to finish my vineyards.” – Additional reporting: Reuters
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