Hezbollah Fires Missiles at Israel’s Haifa as Tensions Escalate in the Middle East
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah took a sharp turn on Monday as Iran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets at Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city.
This marks a significant escalation on the first anniversary of the Gaza war, which has triggered widespread unrest across the Middle East.
Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group allied with Hamas, the Palestinian organization fighting Israel in Gaza, claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The group reported targeting a military base south of Haifa with “Fadi 1” missiles, followed by a strike on the Israeli city of Tiberias, approximately 65 km (40 miles) away.
Later in the day, Hezbollah launched additional missile strikes targeting areas north of Haifa. Israel’s military confirmed that around 135 projectiles had entered its territory by 5 p.m. local time (1400 GMT), causing widespread damage and injuries.
Reports indicated that ten people were injured in the Haifa area, while two others sustained injuries further south in central Israel.
Israeli Military Response Intensifies:
In retaliation, the Israeli Air Force carried out extensive bombing raids on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military also confirmed that two of its soldiers were killed during border combat operations, bringing the death toll for Israeli forces operating inside Lebanon to 11 since the conflict reignited.
The military described its current ground operations as “localized, limited, and targeted,” but the scale of these operations has steadily increased over the past week.
According to Israeli military officials, soldiers from the 91st Division have moved into southern Lebanon following a year of intense cross-border skirmishes with Hezbollah.
The Israeli forces had previously been engaged in defensive actions in northern Israel, where Hezbollah’s rocket attacks have been ongoing for the past year.
Civilian Casualties in Lebanon:
The conflict has taken a heavy toll on both sides of the border. Lebanon’s health ministry reported the deaths of 10 firefighters who were killed during an Israeli airstrike on a municipal building in the border town of Bint Jbeil.
This attack, part of the broader Israeli air campaign, has resulted in significant civilian casualties across Lebanon. Additional Israeli strikes on Sunday left 22 people dead in southern and eastern Lebanese towns.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reiterated that their ground operations aim to neutralize Hezbollah threats but acknowledged the increasing intensity of the conflict.
Broader Regional Implications:
As the conflict spreads across the region, international observers are increasingly concerned about the potential for further escalation.
Hezbollah’s alliance with Hamas has strengthened the group’s resolve, leading to coordinated attacks on Israeli military and civilian targets. Meanwhile, Israel continues to conduct extensive military operations in Gaza while expanding its campaign into southern Lebanon.
The ongoing violence has sparked fears of a wider regional war involving other countries in the Middle East.
Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation have so far been unsuccessful, and both sides appear determined to continue their respective campaigns.
This latest missile strike on Haifa, coupled with the growing death toll, signals a dangerous new phase in the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict, with no immediate end in sight.
