Hezbollah launched 170 rockets on Israel and targets several Israeli military sites, facilities and factories
Lebanon’s Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets at Israel on Wednesday in response to an Israeli raid that assassinated a senior group field commander, exacerbating tensions between the two sides on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
The Iran- and Israeli-backed Hezbollah group has been exchanging fire since the war erupted in Gaza in October, with a steady escalation in hostilities raising fears of a bigger confrontation.
Three security sources said an Israeli raid on the southern Lebanese village of Joya late on Tuesday killed three fighters and a senior Hezbollah field commander, which claimed he was Talib Abdullah, also known as Haj Abu Talib.
One of the sources said, “Abu Taleb was the most prominent Hezbollah member to be martyred in clashes between the group and Israel eight months ago”.
The sources explained that he was the leader of the group in the central region of the southern border strip. His funeral is scheduled for later on Wednesday.
A security source in Lebanon said Hezbollah fired more than 170 rockets in response to the strike, calling it one of the group’s biggest rocket attacks since clashes began in October.
Hezbollah said it had carried out at least five attacks, including one with guided missiles, on an Israeli military industries factory in retaliation for what it called an assassination by Israel in Joya.
Hezbollah also said it attacked Israeli military headquarters in Ein Zeitim and Ameed, and an Israeli military air surveillance unit at the Meron base, in each case firing dozens of Katyusha rockets.
The Israeli military said its warplanes bombed a number of rockets launching sites in southern Lebanon on Wednesday after firing shells towards northern Israel.
The military said earlier that Hezbollah had fired a barrage of about 50 rockets from southern Lebanon on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
In another announcement, Israel said it had detected about 90 projectiles coming from Lebanon, a number of which were intercepted and the rest landed in several locations in northern Israel, causing fires in a number of areas.
It wasn’t clear though, whether the Israeli statements referred to separate launches.
The sources in Lebanon, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Abu Talib was superior to Wissam al Taweel, a senior Hezbollah commander who was killed in an Israeli raid in January.
Security sources said the four martyrs were likely targeted during a meeting.
Hezbollah also announced the bombing of the Northern Corps headquarters at the Ain Zeitim base with dozens of Katyusha rockets.
Hezbollah also shelled the headquarters of the Air Traffic Control Unit and the Air Operations Department on the northern direction of the Meron base with dozens of Katyusha rockets and artillery shells.
