Major escalation as Israel heavily bombs Dahiyeh after large Hezbollah rocket barrage
The Israeli military said Wednesday that it had launched a new wave of strikes on Hezbollah targets in the southern Beirut suburbs, vowing to act with "great force" in the area.
The military said it had begun a "large-scale wave of strikes" on Hezbollah infrastructure in Dahiyeh, the Lebanese capital's southern suburb, where the Iran-backed group holds sway.
In a separate statement on X, military spokesman Avichay Adraee said Israeli forces "will soon act with great force against (Hezbollah) facilities, interests, and military capabilities" in the area, after the military reported rocket fire from Hezbollah towards Israel "in the last few hours."
At least ten violent and simultaneous airstrikes meanwhile targeted several areas in Dahiyeh.
Hezbollah for its part said it had launched rockets and advanced missiles at northern Israel as part of a new operation against its foe.
Hezbollah in a statement said that "in response to the criminal aggression against dozens of Lebanese cities and towns and Beirut's southern suburbs", its fighters targeted sites in northern Israel "with dozens of rockets" as part of a new operation announced a short time earlier.
In subsequent statements, the group said its fighters also targeted other locations in northern Israel as part of the operation, including the headquarters of the Israeli military's northern command near Safed and two bases in Haifa "with volleys of advanced missiles".
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X that "we will respond to them", referring to the Hezbollah operation announcement, and vowed a severe response.
Source: Agence France Presse, Naharnet
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