The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say a new wave of “widespread” airstrikes have been carried out against targets in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa region, east of Beirut, on the border with Syria. The announcement came after the IDF confirmed that the Tel Aviv area, the country’s most populous city and its economic hub, had been “hit by a Hezbollah missile for the first time”. Lebanese Shiite militias say ballistic missile strikes target Mossad headquarters near Herzliya, a suburb of Tel Aviv; Israel says it intercepted.
According to the IDF, although the attack caused no damage or casualties, Hezbollah was able to launch a missile at Tel Aviv “for the first time in history” — and the first time in the war that it had used a long-range missile. , his first shoot two days later Rockets Longer range in the current conflict – helping to show that it retains the ability to significantly threaten Israel.
It comes after heavy blows it suffered last week and put its communication system at risk (by attacks). Pagers And Walkie talkies) and the deaths of many of its members and some of its most prominent military leaders, including Commander-in-Chief on Tuesday Rockets and Missiles, Ibrahim Kubaisi.
The message was sent to the IDF and Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and to the people of Israel, as, as the BBC describes it, “millions of Israelis heard the sound of that missile intercepted over Tel Aviv”.
According to a Hezbollah official who spoke to Reuters, attacks on communications equipment last week disabled and injured 1,500 members of the group: many lost hands and became blind. The simultaneous blasts injured hundreds of civilians and killed children and hospital staff. According to its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, the militia (a better weapon than the Palestinian Hamas) has 100 thousand fighters – a report presented to the North American Congress a few days ago estimated the number to be between 40 and 50 thousand, usually mentioned. By experts.
In addition to shelling central Israel, between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, Hezbollah began Rockets And Drones Attacks were launched against several points in the north of Israel, including the Israeli naval base in Atlit, a coastal city south of Haifa. Drones It was launched by Iranian-backed militias in October last year.
pieces Rockets That was achieved Kibbutz Sar, near the town of Nahariya, less than ten kilometers from the Lebanese border, injured two people, one of them critically.
Ready to “enter” Lebanon
“We have to be strong going in [no Líbano] In a maneuver [terrestre]Major General Ori Gordin, head of the IDF Northern Command, said in a speech to the army during a simulation of a ground operation in Lebanon. He said the aim of this “new phase of the campaign” which began with “a very significant blow to Hezbollah’s capabilities” was to “change the security situation” in the border region.
Across the border, Lebanese living in the south and in the Bekaa Valley again received messages in Arabic, saying it was still not safe for those who had managed to flee since Monday to return.
Lebanese authorities said at least 22 people were killed and 100 wounded in multiple attacks in the morning; The first IDF attack took place north of Beirut, 120 kilometers from the border, including two in mountainous areas outside areas traditionally identified as centers of support for Hezbollah, including a location in Mount Lebanon.
Between Monday’s devastating bombings and Tuesday’s IDF raids, the Israeli offensive has already killed at least 569 people, including 50 children, and wounded 1,835, according to a Lebanese health ministry count.
Speaking to AFP, Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib said there were 110,000 displaced Lebanese as of last week, and that number is now approaching “half a million”.
Others are trying to leave the country and there are reports of traffic jams on the border with Syria, reminiscent of the summer 2006 war that left at least 1,109 Lebanese, almost all civilians, and 4,300 injured. One million people were displaced — as well as 43 Israeli civilians and 12 IDF members — according to data from Human Rights Watch.