Hezbollah has announced that it launched dozens of rockets at Israel’s Ramat David Airbase, east of Haifa, in response to a series of Israeli attacks, prompting the UN to war of an “imminent catastrophe” if the tit-for-tat violence continues.
Sirens were activated across northern Israel in the early hours of Sunday.
If confirmed, the assault would be Hezbollah’s farthest-reaching attack inside Israel since the start of the ongoing cross-border clashes in October last year.
The Israeli military said more than 100 projectiles were fired early on Sunday from Lebanon, forcing hundreds of thousands to take cover and prompting school closures in Israel’s north.
Educational activities would not be permitted across northern Israel until at least Monday at 6pm (15:00 GMT), the military’s Home Front Command said, affecting “hundreds of thousands of children”, according to military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani.
“In Haifa, a lot of schools are closed … and offices are empty,” said resident Patrice Wolff, who works in the medical industry.
The Israeli military also issued restrictions on large gatherings in northern Israel, including Haifa – the country’s third-largest city.
There were no reports of casualties or any significant damage by rockets in Israel on Sunday.
On Saturday, the Israeli army said it carried out hundreds of air raids across southern Lebanon. It also claimed attacks on 110 other locations in the early hours of Sunday morning.
In a statement issued by his office on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel “inflicted a series of blows” against Hezbollah.
“If Hezbollah has not understood the message, I promise you, it will understand the message.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant vowed that Israeli operations against Hezbollah will continue until residents of northern Israel can return home safely.
‘Imminent catastrophe’
The latest violence could lead to an “imminent catastrophe” in the Middle East, the United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, warned on Sunday, saying a military solution was not the answer.
“With the region on the brink of an imminent catastrophe, it cannot be overstated enough: there is NO military solution that will make either side safer,” she said in a post on X.
Reporting from Beirut, Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem also highlighted the significance of the Lebanese group’s attack.
“This is the first time since the 2006 war [between Israel and Hezbollah] that Hezbollah’s missiles crossed” 20km (12 miles), Hashem said.
“This is the first time that they’re hitting targets towards 45km [30 miles], 50km [31 miles], because we’re hearing reports of impacts or interceptions in several areas, including above the Ramat David Airbase to the east of Haifa.”
Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, also reporting from Beirut, said Hezbollah’s message is that despite the blows that they have received in the past few days, “it’s still able to fight and launch rockets and missiles across the border”.
In its statement, Hezbollah said it carried out the attack with so-called Fadi 1 and Fadi 2 rockets, not the World War II era, Soviet-made Katyusha rockets that it has been using over the past several months.
The latest barrage of rocket fire comes after a week of Israeli attacks across Lebanon.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, wireless communication devices associated with Hezbollah exploded across Lebanon, injuring thousands and killing dozens, including civilians. Lebanon blamed the unprecedented attack on Israel.
Death toll in Beirut strike rises
Israel also conducted an air strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday that killed at least 45 people and injured dozens more.
Senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil was among those killed in the attack that levelled an entire residential building.
Hezbollah and Israel have engaged in daily clashes since the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza.
The Lebanese group says it will continue its attacks on Israeli bases in the north of the country until Israel ends its Gaza offensive.
The violence has displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.
The two sides appear to be in an escalatory spiral, risking a serious conflict. Hezbollah has said it is not seeking an all-out war, but it is ready for one should it occur.
Israeli leaders have promised to push Hezbollah off Israel’s border and return its citizens to communities in the north, including through war if necessary.
