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NAHARIYA, Israel (AP) — Hezbollah launched much than 100 rockets early Sunday crossed a wider and deeper area of bluish Israel, pinch immoderate landing adjacent nan metropolis of Haifa, arsenic Israel launched hundreds of strikes connected Lebanon. The sides appeared to beryllium spiraling toward all-out warfare pursuing months of escalating tensions.
The rocket barrage overnight was successful consequence to Israeli attacks successful Lebanon that person killed dozens, including a seasoned Hezbollah commander, and an unprecedented onslaught targeting nan group’s communications devices. It group disconnected aerial ambush sirens crossed bluish Israel, sending thousands of group scrambling into shelters.
One rocket struck adjacent a residential building successful Kiryat Bialik, a organization adjacent Haifa, wounding astatine slightest 3 group and mounting buildings and cars connected fire. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue work said that a full of 4 group were wounded by shrapnel successful nan barrage.
Avi Vazana raced to a shelter pinch his woman and 9-month-old babe earlier he heard nan roar of nan rocket hitting successful Kiryat Bialik. Then he went backmost extracurricular to spot if anyone was hurt.
“I ran without shoes, without a shirt, only pinch pants. I ran to this location erstwhile everything was still connected occurrence to effort to find if location are different people,” he said.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said that 3 group were killed and different 4 wounded successful Israeli strikes adjacent nan border, without saying whether they were civilians aliases combatants.
Hezbollah responds to unprecedented blows
The barrage came aft an Israeli airstrike successful Beirut connected Friday killed astatine slightest 45 people, including 1 of Hezbollah’s apical leaders arsenic good arsenic women and children. Hezbollah was already reeling from a blase onslaught that caused thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies to explode conscionable days earlier.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would return immoderate action was basal to reconstruct information successful nan northbound and let group to return to their homes.
“No state tin judge nan wanton rocketing of its cities. We can’t judge it either,” he said.
The Israeli subject said that it carried retired a activity of strikes crossed confederate Lebanon complete nan past 24 hours, hitting astir 400 militant sites, including rocket launchers. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli subject spokesman, said those strikes had thwarted an moreover larger attack.
“Hundreds of thousands of civilians person travel nether occurrence crossed a batch of bluish Israel,” he said. “Today we saw occurrence that was deeper into Israel than before.”
The subject besides said it had intercepted aggregate aerial devices fired from nan guidance of Iraq, aft Iran-backed militant groups location claimed to person launched a drone onslaught connected Israel.
Israel’s Health Ministry said that each hospitals successful nan northbound would statesman moving operations to protected areas aliases shelters wrong nan aesculapian centers.
In a abstracted development, Israeli forces raided nan West Bank bureau of Al-Jazeera, which it had banned earlier this year, accusing it of serving arsenic a mouthpiece for militant groups, allegations denied by nan pan-Arab broadcaster.
U.N. envoy warns that nan region is connected nan brink of a catastrophe
Israel and Hezbollah person traded occurrence since nan outbreak of nan warfare successful Gaza astir a twelvemonth ago, erstwhile nan militant group began firing rockets successful solidarity pinch nan Palestinians and its chap Iran-backed state Hamas. The low-level fighting has killed dozens of group successful Israel, hundreds successful Lebanon, and displaced tens of thousands connected some sides of nan frontier.
Until recently, neither broadside was believed to beryllium seeking an all-out war, and Hezbollah has truthful acold stopped short of targeting Tel Aviv aliases awesome civilian infrastructure. But successful caller weeks, Israel has shifted its attraction from Gaza to Lebanon and vowed to bring backmost calm to nan separator truthful that its citizens tin return to their homes. Hezbollah has said that it would only halt its attacks if location is simply a cease-fire successful Gaza, which appears progressively elusive.
The warfare successful Gaza began pinch Hamas’ Oct. 7 onslaught into Israel, successful which Palestinian militants killed astir 1,200 group and took astir 250 others hostage. They are still holding astir 100 captives, a 3rd of whom are believed to beryllium dead. Over 41,000 Palestinians person been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It doesn’t opportunity really galore were fighters, but says women and children dress up much than half of nan dead.
Families of nan hostages person raised fears that a warfare successful nan northbound would distract from their plight and further complicate nan negotiations complete their release.
The U.N. envoy for Lebanon called connected each parties to propulsion back.
“With nan region connected nan brink of an imminent catastrophe, it cannot beryllium overstated enough: location is NO subject solution that will make either broadside safer,” Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said successful an X post.
Israeli media reported that rockets fired from Lebanon early Sunday were intercepted successful nan areas of Haifa and Nazareth, which are further southbound than astir of nan rocket occurrence to date. Israel canceled schoolhouse crossed nan north, deepening nan consciousness of crisis.
Hezbollah says it is utilizing caller weapons
Hezbollah said that it had launched dozens of Fadi 1 and Fadi 2 missiles — a caller type of limb nan group hadn’t utilized earlier — astatine nan Ramat David airbase, southeast of Haifa, “in consequence to nan repeated Israeli attacks that targeted various Lebanese regions and led to nan autumn of galore civilian martyrs.”
In July, nan group released a video pinch what it said was footage it had filmed of nan guidelines pinch surveillance drones.
Hezbollah besides said it had targeted nan accommodation of nan Rafael defense firm, which is headquartered successful Haifa, calling it retaliation for nan wireless devices attack. It didn’t supply evidence, and nan Israeli subject declined to remark connected nan statement.
Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel for a activity of explosions that deed pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members connected Tuesday and Wednesday, sidesplitting astatine slightest 37 group — including 2 children — and wounding astir 3,000. The attacks were wide blamed connected Israel, which hasn’t confirmed aliases denied responsibility.
On Friday, an Israeli airstrike took down an eight-story building successful a densely populated vicinity successful Beirut’s confederate suburbs arsenic Hezbollah members were gathering successful nan basement, according to Israel. Among those killed was Ibrahim Akil, a apical Hezbollah official who commanded nan group’s typical forces unit, known arsenic nan Radwan Force.
Lebanese authorities opportunity astatine slightest 7 women and 3 children were killed successful Friday’s airstrike and that dozens much were wounded. It was nan deadliest onslaught connected Beirut since nan monthlong warfare successful 2006 betwixt Israel and Hezbollah.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that nan onslaught collapsed up nan group’s concatenation of bid while taking retired Akil, who he said was responsible for Israeli deaths.
Akil had been connected nan U.S. astir wanted database for years, pinch a $7 cardinal reward, complete his alleged domiciled successful nan 1983 bombing of nan U.S. Embassy successful Beirut and nan taking of American and German hostages successful Lebanon during nan civilian warfare successful nan 1980s.
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Kareem Chehayeb reported from Beirut. Moshe Edri contributed to this study from Kiryat Bialik.
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