Israel’s military says about 250 rockets were fired by Hezbollah across the border into Lebanon, marking Israel’s heaviest bombardment since the war escalated in September.
Several people were injured and buildings were damaged in northern and central Israel, some of them near Tel Aviv, Israeli police said.
The attack followed Israeli air strike in central Beirut on Saturday, where the Ministry of Health in Lebanon said 29 people died.
Also on Sunday, Israeli media reported widely that Israel and Lebanon are moving toward an agreement to end hostilities with the Iran-backed militia, Hezbollah.
After reports of heavy fire from Lebanon, Israeli police said they received reports of rocket debris falling in the Tel Aviv area.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said a direct attack on one area left “houses in flames and ruins”.
Rockets fell in Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv, and in other northern areas: Haifa, Nahariya and Kfar Blum, Israeli media reported.
Hezbollah, which has previously vowed to respond to the attack on Beirut by targeting Tel Aviv, said it launched precision-guided missiles at two military bases in the city and nearby areas.
Later, the IDF said it had completed strikes on 12 Hezbollah bases in Dahieh, the group’s stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health on Sunday raised the death toll from 20 to 29 in a major Israeli strike launched without warning in central Beirut. It said 84 people have been killed in the country on Saturday.
The IDF did not comment on Saturday’s attack, but Israeli media reported at the time that it was an attempt to kill Mohammed Haydar, a senior Hezbollah official.
Israel’s stated goal in its war with Hezbollah is to allow the return of approximately 60,000 civilians displaced from communities in northern Israel as a result of the group’s attacks.
In Lebanon, more than 3,670 people have been killed and at least 15,400 injured since October 2023, according to the Lebanese authorities, and more than a million have been forced from their homes.
In the past two days, Israel has intensified its campaign against Hezbollah.
On Sunday, Israeli public broadcaster Kan, citing Israeli and US officials, reported that Israel had given the “green light” to proceed with the US-proposed ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, but indicated that gaps remained.
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