Hezbollah has launched a barrage of rockets into central Israel, setting off air raid sirens in the country’s most populated areas but causing no apparent damage or injuries.
The Israeli military said five projectiles were fired from Lebanon into Israel and said most were intercepted by Israel’s missile defence system. One landed in an open area.
The rocket fire came as Israel stepped up its strikes in Lebanon, targeting a Hezbollah-run financial institution, with the US pushing to resume ceasefire talks in Gaza following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
In a separate development, Lebanon’s health ministry said the death toll from an Israeli strike near one of Beirut’s main hospitals climbed to 13, with dozens more wounded.
The air strike hit buildings facing the main government hospital in the capital late on Monday. The ministry said 57 others were wounded in the strike, including seven who were in critical condition.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to annihilate Hamas and recover dozens of hostages held by the group.
Hamas says it will only release the captives in return for a lasting ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
On October 7 2023, Hamas-led militants blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed in, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish combatants from civilians. The war has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its population of 2.3 million people.
Later, Lebanon’s state news agency says another Israeli air strike has targeted the country’s main border crossing with Syria, leaving a second large crater on the major road running through it.
The National News Agency reported that the strike was closer to the Syrian side of the crossing, known as Jdeidet Yabous. Syrian TV also reported an air strike in the border area.
An Israeli air strike on October 5 blocked a highway and left a giant crater near the Lebanese side of the crossing, known as Masnaa, about 30 miles from Beirut.
That strike prevented vehicles from going through the crossing, which tens of thousands of people have used to flee to Syria.
People now have to walk by foot in or around the two large craters several miles away.
The Israeli military has accused the Hezbollah militant group of using the Masnaa crossing to truck in military equipment from Syria. There was no immediate comment on the latest strike.
