Hezbollah missiles targeted multiple locations in northern Israel including military headquarters and settlements, using artillery and missiles in defence of Lebanon and its people….reports Asian Lite News
Hezbollah announced on Wednesday that it had fired a rocket aimed at the Mossad headquarters near Tel Aviv, accusing the Israeli intelligence agency of involvement in the assassination of its leaders and the destruction of communication devices used by its members, media reported.
This escalation marks a significant step towards a broader conflict between the two longstanding adversaries.
In response, warning sirens were triggered across Tel Aviv, Israel’s economic hub, as the Israeli military detected the surface-to-surface missile, Reuters reported.
The rocket was successfully intercepted by Israel’s air defence systems before causing any damage or casualties. The military confirmed that no new civil defence instructions were issued for central Israel following the incident.
Sirens also blared in other parts of central Israel, including the city of Netanya, as tensions heightened.
In a separate event, the Israeli military reported that a drone launched from Syria into Israeli airspace was intercepted by fighter jets south of the Sea of Galilee. Similar to the earlier rocket incident, no damage or injuries were recorded.
The rocket attack by Hezbollah represents a dramatic intensification in hostilities, further straining the already volatile situation between Israel and Hezbollah, which could potentially spiral into a full-scale conflict. Both sides are on high alert as they brace for possible further confrontations.
Hezbollah Rockets Force Chief Dead
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Tuesday announced that Ibrahim Muhammad Qabisi, the commander of Hezbollah’s Missiles and Rockets Force, was killed as part of a two-day bombing campaign that has left more than 560 people dead and prompted thousands in southern Lebanon to seek refuge from the widening conflict.
“Qabisi was eliminated alongside additional central commanders in Hezbollah’s Missiles and Rockets Force,” the IDF stated in a post on X.
Missiles target military HQ, settlements
Hezbollah attacked multiple targets in northern Israel including military headquarters and settlements, using artillery and missiles in defence of Lebanon and its people.
In an official statement on Tuesday, Hezbollah reported that its fighters shelled the Dado base, home to the Israeli Northern Command, and the Eliakim military camp near Haifa using Fadi 2 missiles. The assault also struck the kibbutzim of HaGoshrim and Gesher Haziv, as well as the village of Qatsrin.
Lebanese military sources indicated that over 200 surface-to-surface missiles were fired from southern Lebanon at northern Israel. Hezbollah has recently deployed its ‘Fadi’ missile series, including Fadi 1, Fadi 2, and Fadi 3, for the first time in the 11-month conflict, Xinhua news agency reported.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Israeli Air Force executed more than 100 airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon, including a centre for the Islamic Health Authority in Nabatieh, resulting in the deaths of 10 medical staff.
Israel launched its most extensive airstrikes against Lebanon since 2006 on Monday and Tuesday, causing over 550 fatalities and injuring more than 1,800 individuals nationwide.
The significant escalation has heightened concerns about the possibility of a full-scale conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, with fears that other nations could also become involved.
World locked in a “purgatory of polarity”
The world is locked in a “purgatory of polarity” with a growing number of governments and others feeling entitled to a “get out of jail free card”, Secretary-General António Guterres told the UN General Assembly, which opened its annual high-level meeting on Tuesday.
Delivering his 2024 report on the UN’s work ahead of the general debate, Guterres said world leaders were gathering in the shadow of raging conflicts around the world, and rising uncertainty over climate change, ending poverty and reigning in AI.
“Our world is in a whirlwind. We are in an era of epic transformation – facing challenges unlike any we have ever seen – challenges that demand global solutions,” the UN chief said.
He warned that geopolitical divisions are deepening, temperatures around the world are rising, wars are raging – without any end in sight, and nuclear posturing and new weapons are “casting a dark shadow”.
“We are edging towards the unimaginable – a powder keg that risks engulfing the world,” he said.
Guterres told Heads of State and Government in attendance that he stood before them with two “overriding truths”, saying “First, the state of our world is unsustainable – we cannot go on like this. And second, the challenges we face are solvable – but that requires us to make sure the mechanisms of international problem-solving actually solve problems.”