Hezbollah launches 300 rockets at Israel: Army

Jerusalem/Beirut: Amid Israel's most intense attacks on Lebanon since 2006, the Israeli army reported that Hezbollah had launched over 300 rockets and other projectiles into Israel on the second day.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Tuesday night that an explosive drone was dropped in Atlit, a coastal town in northern Israel south of Haifa. This is the first time Hezbollah's rocket fire has reached this area. Two other drones were launched into the area but were intercepted. The Israeli rescue services report that no one was hurt by the drones.

Most of the rockets were intercepted by Israel's aerial defence systems, the army said.

Hezbollah confirmed the attack in a statement, saying its fighters launched "an aerial operation with a squadron of assault drones against the headquarters of Israel's special naval task unit Shayetet 13 in the Atlit base, targeting the positions of its officers and soldiers and striking the targets precisely", Xinhua news agency reported.

In other cases, rockets or parts of interceptor missiles that fell to the ground sparked fires in the Mount Meron area of Upper Galilee. In Rosh Pina, a town in Upper Galilee, a residential home was hit and extensively damaged.

Hospitals in the affected areas reported treating about 23 people, but later statements from Israel's Magen David Adom emergency health service indicated that those treated were suffering from panic, not physical injuries.

At nightfall, Israel launched a new wave of attacks in Lebanon. The Air Force "conducted a number of extensive strikes on dozens of terrorist targets belonging to Hezbollah in the Beqaa region and several other areas in southern Lebanon," the military said.

During the day, Israeli warplanes continued the massive strikes, which, according to the military, dismantled "dozens" of infrastructures where weapons were stored and numerous launchers aimed at Israeli territory were located.

Also on Tuesday night, unnamed Lebanese military sources told Xinhua that Israeli warplanes carried out ten raids on towns in the Tyre area deep in southern Lebanon and raided Hezbollah sites in the Jezzine area, also in the south of Lebanon.

Amid the sharp escalation, the Israeli military conducted Tuesday an exercise simulating fighting inside Lebanon, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant remarked that "the series of blows on Hezbollah's command chain, operatives, and weapons were tough." According to Gallant, Israel has destroyed "tens of thousands" of rockets, missiles, and launchers since Monday.

Answering questions in a press briefing on Monday night, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari neither confirmed nor denied whether Israel plans a ground operation in Lebanon.

Israel began its most extensive bombardment of Lebanon since 2006 on Monday, resulting in more than 550 deaths, including civilians, and over 1,800 injuries across the country. The flare-up has raised concerns about the potential for a full-scale conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, with fears that other nations could also become involved.

With inputs from IANS