Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire as regional tensions surged following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
Hezbollah said it struck Israel’s Haifa naval base in the north at 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT). The Israeli military later confirmed that multiple incoming projectiles were detected, adding that most were intercepted. Hours afterward, a powerful explosion was heard in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, shortly after midnight (22:00 GMT).
Hezbollah later claimed it had also fired rockets at Israeli forces in the northern Israeli town of Metula. The claim came after it announced carrying out the missile strike on the Haifa naval base.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military issued new forced displacement orders for residents of 16 villages and towns in southern Lebanon. The affected areas include Majdal Selm, Houla and Shaqra.
Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen television reported that an Israeli airstrike on Aramoun and Saadiyat in the Mount Lebanon area killed at least six people. The broadcaster cited the Lebanese Ministry of Health as saying eight others were wounded in the attack.
Earlier, Lebanese authorities said the death toll from what they described as Israel’s “aggression” had risen to 50, with 335 people wounded.
In a separate development, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said 1,097 civilians have been killed in Iran since February 28. According to HRANA, 181 of those killed were children under the age of 10.
The rights group said the number of civilian injuries has reached 5,402, including 100 children. It added that at least 104 attacks were recorded in the past 24 hours alone, hitting military bases, medical centres and residential areas.
HRANA said hundreds more reported deaths are currently being reviewed.
