Israel’s military says around 250 rockets have been fired by Hezbollah across the border from Lebanon, marking one of the heaviest bombardments of Israel since fighting intensified in September.
Several people were injured and buildings damaged in northern and central Israel, some of them near Tel Aviv, Israel’s police said.
The attacks followed an Israeli air strike on central Beirut on Saturday, in which the Lebanese health ministry said 29 people were killed.
Also on Sunday, Israeli media widely reported that Israel and Lebanon were moving towards a ceasefire agreement to end the fighting with the Iran-backed militia, Hezbollah.
Following reports of heavy fire from Lebanon, Israel’s police said it had received reports of rocket debris falling in the Tel Aviv area.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said a direct hit on one neighbourhood had left “houses in flames and ruins”.Rockets fell in Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv, and in some northern areas: Haifa, Nahariya and Kfar Blum, Israeli media reported.
Hezbollah, which has previously vowed to respond to attacks on Beirut by targeting Tel Aviv, said it had launched precision missiles at two military sites in the city and nearby.
Later, the IDF said it had completed strikes on 12 Hezbollah command centres in Dahieh, a stronghold for the group in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Lebanon’s health ministry on Sunday raised the death toll from 20 to 29 from a massive Israeli strike launched without warning on central Beirut. It said a total of 84 people had been killed in the country Saturday.
The IDF has not commented on Saturday’s attack, but Israeli media reported at the time that it was an attempt to kill Mohammed Haydar, a top Hezbollah official.
Israel’s stated goal in its war against Hezbollah is to allow the return of about 60,000 residents who have been displaced from communities in northern Israel because 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 Lebanese authorities, with more than one million forced from their homes.
Over the past fortnight, Israel has intensified its campaign against Hezbollah.
On Sunday the Israeli public broadcaster Kan, citing Israeli and US officials, reported that Israel had given the “green light” to advance a US-proposed ceasefire deal with Lebanon, but indicated some gaps remained.