Israel attacks Lebanon following Hezbollah rocket launches, as tensions with Iran escalate. One day ago. Alice Cuddy, Beirut-based senior international reporter. Samantha Granville of Beirut. Lucy Williamson, a journalist specializing in the Middle East, is based in Metula. Israel’s military announced it targeted Hezbollah sites in Lebanon following the Iran-supported Shia group’s claim of firing rockets and drones at the Israeli city of Haifa in revenge for the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Lebanon’s disaster management authority reported 1,203 people killed by Israeli airstrikes in the country on Monday. Hezbollah’s attacks caused no reported casualties in Israel and were described by the group as payback for Khamenei’s “pure blood” and Israeli operations in Lebanon since a ceasefire concluded their war 21 months ago. Israel’s defense minister promised Hezbollah would face a “heavy price,” with Israel Katz stating he instructed the military to strike the militia and political party aggressively, declaring its leader Naim Qassem a “target for elimination.” Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam denounced Hezbollah’s moves as “irresponsible” and announced an immediate ban on the group’s military operations. Analysts had anticipated Hezbollah—closely linked to Iran financially and ideologically—would enter the fray amid the Iran-Israel-US conflict. Tensions have rapidly escalated across the Middle East since the US-Israeli assault on Iran’s leadership and forces on Saturday, prompting Iran to fire missiles and drones at Israel and Gulf states hosting US bases. Reuters. On Sunday, the leader of Hezbollah condemned Khamenei’s assassination as “the height of crime.” Qasem also stated that his group would “fulfill our duty to confront the aggression” from Israel and the US, refusing to abandon “the field of honor and resistance.” At approximately 23:00 local time on Monday (22:00 GMT on Sunday), sirens blared across multiple parts of northern Israel, with explosions reported. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported intercepting one projectile that entered Israeli territory from Lebanon, while several others landed in open areas.
