BEIRUT: Hezbollah said it had fired a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv on Wednesday as Israel launched more airstrikes on Lebanon, including in mountain areas outside Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds, killing at least 51 more people and injuring 220, the Lebanese health ministry reported.
It is the first time Hezbollah has claimed a ballistic missile strike since its nearly year-long conflict with Israel conflict that reignited on October 7.
Israel carried out more airstrikes on areas across Lebanon on Wednesday, after relentless bombardment earlier this week killed more than 558 people in a deadliest day of violence.
The violence has reached unprecedented levels after Israeli strikes killed at least 558 people, mostly unarmed civilians, on Monday in Lebanon. The Lebanese health minister, Firass Abiad, condemned the attacks, stating that “the vast majority, if not all,” of those killed were innocent civilians in their homes.
According to Lebanese authorities, hundreds of thousands of civilians have fled their homes in southern and eastern Lebanon to escape the Israeli aggression. In Tel Aviv, sirens sounded after Hezbollah’s unprecedented ballistic missile launch.
The United Nations Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting in New York on Wednesday to address the crisis, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressing alarm over the escalation.
Guterres warned that Lebanon is “at the brink,” urging for immediate action to prevent the country from becoming another Gaza. “We should all be alarmed by the escalation. Lebanon is at the brink,” he said.
The Lebanese foreign minister said that nearly 500,000 people have been displaced due to the Israeli military aggression on Lebanon. Many civilians are fleeing their homes in southern and eastern Lebanon, seeking refuge from the ongoing violence. Approximately 500 people have crossed into neighboring Syria to escape the Israeli airstrikes.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed that Hezbollah had launched around 300 rockets into Israel on Tuesday alone. The group also claimed responsibility for 18 separate attacks on Israeli positions that day.
Hezbollah also confirmed an Israeli claim that its airstrike had killed their rocket forces commander Ibrahim Kobeissi in Beirut. This has further fueled tensions, with both sides remaining resolute in their military objectives.
At the UN General Assembly, US President Joe Biden, a key ally of Israel, cautioned against the ramifications of a full-scale war in Lebanon. “Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest,” he stated, emphasizing the potential for a diplomatic solution even amidst rising tensions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who delayed his departure for New York to hold consultations on the ongoing military strategy, reiterated Israel’s commitment to its campaign against Hezbollah. “We will continue to hit Hezbollah… the one who has a missile in his living room and a rocket in his home will not have a home,” Netanyahu declared. Netanyahu defied international calls for restraint.
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Iran condemned Israel’s actions, with President Masoud Pezeshkian saying that the group cannot stand alone in the face of aggression.
On Wednesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei expressed confidence in Hezbollah’s resilience, stating that the deaths of key commanders would not dismantle the group’s operational capabilities.
“Some of the effective and valuable forces of Hezbollah were martyred, which undoubtedly caused damage to Hezbollah, but this was not the sort of damage that could bring the group to its knees,” he said.
