Topline
Hezbollah fired a missile at Tel Aviv on Wednesday—its deepest strike into Israeli territory and the latest sign of escalating tensions—which Israel’s military said it intercepted to prevent any damages or casualties.
Key Facts
Hezbollah said the ballistic missile fired at Tel Aviv was meant to target the headquarters of Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, which the militant group has blamed for the recent killings of some of its leaders and last week’s attack involving exploding pagers, which killed at least a dozen.
The launch triggered sirens in Israel’s financial capital, but the country’s military said it was able to intercept the missile and then struck the area where it was fired from in southern Lebanon.
Israel’s military spokesperson, Nadav Shoshani, tweeted that Hezbollah’s missile launch sent “millions of innocent civilians across central Israel running to shelter” and later said the “Mossad headquarters is not in that area.”
A few hours later, Hezbollah said it had targeted the town of Hatzon in central Israel and the Dado military base in the country’s north with tens of rockets, Lebanese state media reported, with the latter causing some property damage.
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The Israeli Defense Forces said it had launched another round of “extensive” strikes into southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley region in the country’s east.
According to Lebanese state media, at least three people were killed and nine injured by Israeli airstrikes on the town of Maaysrah—located north of Beirut—on Wednesday.
Key Background
The latest exchange between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah comes amid growing concerns of an all-out regional war. On Monday, Israel began carrying out its most extensive aerial bombardment of what it said were Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, after smaller operations last week. Israel warned civilians civilians living in Lebanese villages “located in and next to buildings and areas used by Hezbollah for military purposes…to immediately move out of harm’s way for their own safety.” Despite this, Israel’s strikes have resulted in hundreds of deaths and forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee towards Beirut. Israeli authorities, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have said the aerial offensive is meant to destroy Hezbollah’s capabilities and allow civilians to safely return to towns and cities in northern Israel—after being forced to flee amid escalating tensions along the Lebanese border. However, international authorities, including Biden adminstration officials, have cautioned Israel against escalating the situation into a full-blown conflict. President Joe Biden told the the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that a “Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest.”
Crucial Quote
Speaking at an event in New York on Tuesday, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib criticized Biden’s remarks: “It was not strong, it is not promising, and it would not solve the Lebanese problem. We are still hoping. The United States is the only country that can really make a difference in the Middle East and with regard to Lebanon.”
Big Number
At least 558. That is the combined death toll in Lebanon after the IDF conducted a widespread aerial bombardment campaign targeting the country’s south on Monday and Tuesday, according to local authorities. The toll includes 50 children and 94 women.
Further Reading
Israeli Airstrikes Kill More Than 500 In Lebanon, Local Authorities Say (Forbes)
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