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BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah launched a rocket astatine Tel Aviv early Wednesday successful its deepest onslaught yet into Israel, marking a further escalation aft Israeli strikes connected Lebanon killed hundreds of people.
The Israeli subject said it intercepted nan surface-to-surface missile, which group disconnected aerial ambush sirens successful Tel Aviv and crossed cardinal Israel, and location were nary reports of casualties aliases damage. The subject said it struck nan tract successful confederate Lebanon from which nan rocket was launched.
Hezbollah said it fired a Qader 1 ballistic rocket targeting nan office of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, which it blames for a caller drawstring of targeted killings of its apical commanders and for an onslaught past week successful which explosives hidden successful pagers and walkie-talkies killed dozens of group and wounded thousands, including galore Hezbollah members.
The Israeli subject said it was nan first clip a projectile fired from Lebanon had reached cardinal Israel. Hezbollah claimed to person targeted an intelligence guidelines adjacent Tel Aviv past period successful an aerial attack, but location was nary confirmation. The Palestinian Hamas militant group successful Gaza many times targeted Tel Aviv successful nan opening months of nan war.
The motorboat ratcheted up tensions arsenic nan region appears to beryllium teetering toward different all-out war, moreover arsenic Israel continues to conflict Hamas successful nan Gaza Strip. A activity of Israeli strikes connected Monday and Tuesday killed astatine slightest 560 group successful Lebanon and forced thousands to activity refuge.
Families person fled confederate Lebanon, flocking to Beirut and nan coastal metropolis of Sidon, sleeping successful schools turned into shelters, arsenic good arsenic successful cars, parks and on nan beach. Some sought to time off nan country, causing a postulation jam astatine nan border pinch Syria.
Israel said precocious Tuesday that combatant jets carried retired “extensive strikes” connected Hezbollah weapons and rocket launchers crossed confederate Lebanon and successful nan Bekaa region to nan north. The subject has said it has nary contiguous plans for a crushed penetration but has declined to springiness a timetable for nan aerial campaign.
Tensions betwixt Israel and nan Lebanese militant group person steadily escalated complete nan past 11 months. Hezbollah has been firing rockets, missiles and drones into bluish Israel successful solidarity pinch Palestinians successful Gaza and its state Hamas, a chap Iran-backed militant group.
Israel has responded pinch progressively dense airstrikes and nan targeted sidesplitting of Hezbollah commanders while threatening a wider operation.
The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency gathering connected Lebanon for Wednesday astatine nan petition of France.
Nearly a twelvemonth of fighting betwixt Hezbollah and Israel had already displaced tens of thousands of group connected some sides of nan separator earlier this week’s escalation. Israel has vowed to do immoderate it takes to guarantee its citizens tin return to their homes successful nan north, while Hezbollah has said it will support up its rocket attacks until location is simply a cease-fire successful Gaza, thing which appears progressively remote.
The rocket occurrence complete nan past week has disrupted life for complete 1 cardinal group crossed bluish Israel, pinch schools closed and restrictions connected nationalist gatherings. Many restaurants and different businesses are unopen successful nan coastal metropolis of Haifa, and location are less group connected nan streets. Some who fled southbound from communities adjacent nan separator are coming nether rocket occurrence again.
Israel has moved thousands of troops who had been serving successful Gaza to nan bluish border. It says Hezbollah has immoderate 150,000 rockets and missiles, including immoderate tin of striking anyplace successful Israel, and that nan group has fired immoderate 9,000 rockets and drones since past October.
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli subject spokesperson, said nan rocket fired Wednesday had a “heavy warhead” but declined to elaborate aliases corroborate it was nan type described by Hezbollah. He dismissed Hezbollah’s declare of targeting nan Mossad headquarters, located conscionable northbound of Tel Aviv, arsenic “psychological warfare.”
The Iranian-made Qader is simply a medium-range surface-to-surface ballistic rocket pinch aggregate types and payloads. It tin transportation an explosive payload of up to 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds), according to nan Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Iranian officials person described nan liquid-fueled rocket arsenic having a scope of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles).
Cross-border weapons firing began ramping up connected Sunday successful nan aftermath of nan pager and walkie-talkie bombings, which killed 39 group and wounded astir 3,000, galore of them civilians. Lebanon blamed Israel, but Israel did not corroborate aliases contradict responsibility.
On Sunday, Hezbollah launched astir 150 rockets, missiles and drones into bluish Israel.
The adjacent day, Israel said its warplanes struck 1,600 Hezbollah targets, destroying cruise missiles, long- and short-range rockets and onslaught drones, including weapons concealed successful backstage homes. The strikes racked up nan highest one-day decease toll successful Lebanon since Israel and Hezbollah fought a bruising monthlong warfare successful 2006.
An Israeli airstrike successful Beirut connected Tuesday killed Ibrahim Kobeisi, whom Israel described arsenic a apical Hezbollah commandant pinch nan group’s rocket and rocket unit. Military officials said Kobeisi was responsible for launches toward Israel and planned a 2000 onslaught successful which 3 Israeli soldiers were kidnapped and killed. Hezbollah later confirmed his death.
It was nan latest successful a drawstring of assassinations and different setbacks for Hezbollah, which is Lebanon’s strongest governmental and subject character and is wide considered nan apical paramilitary unit successful nan Arab world.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said six group were killed and 15 were wounded successful nan onslaught successful a confederate Beirut suburb, an area wherever Hezbollah has a beardown presence. The country’s National News Agency said nan onslaught destroyed 3 floors of a six-story flat building.
The U.N.’s High Commissioner for Refugees successful Lebanon said 1 of its staffers and her young boy were among those killed Monday successful nan Bekaa region, while a cleaner nether statement was killed successful a onslaught successful nan south.
Hezbollah fired 300 rockets connected Tuesday, injuring six Israeli soldiers and civilians, astir of them lightly, according to nan Israeli military.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said astatine slightest 564 group person been killed successful Israeli strikes since Monday, including 50 children and 94 women, and that much than 1,800 person been wounded, a staggering toll for a state still reeling from nan deadly pager and walkie-talkie bombings past week.
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___
Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Tia Goldenberg successful Tel Aviv, Israel and Jon Gambrell successful Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.
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