Hezbollah fires ballistic missile at Mossad HQ in Tel Aviv

Hezbollah said it had targeted a Mossad headquarters in the suburbs of Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning, launching a ballistic missile at the intelligence base.

The Lebanese group said in a statement that the base was involved in recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

"The Islamic Resistance launched a 'Qader 1' ballistic missile at 6:30 am (0330 GMT) on Wednesday, 25-9-2024, targeting the Mossad headquarters in the outskirts of Tel Aviv," the statement said.

"This headquarters is responsible for the assassination of leaders and the explosion of pagers and wireless devices," it added, referring to attacks last week that killed scores in Lebanon, including children.

The attack is the first time Hezbollah has claimed the use of a ballistic missile against Israel since 8 October, when the latest round of cross-border exchanges broke out.

Air raid sirens rang out in Tel Aviv and Netanya in central Israel, marking new distances reached by a Hezbollah missile.

"Following the sirens that sounded in the Tel Aviv and Netanya areas, one surface-to-surface missile was identified crossing from Lebanon and was intercepted by the IDF Aerial Defense Array,” the Israeli military said.

Army spokesman Nadav Shoshani described the attack as the "first time that Hezbollah has fired toward Tel Aviv".

The latest Hezbollah fire follows Israel's escalation of attacks on Lebanon, including strikes on Monday that killed at least 558 people, including 50 children. The Israeli strikes have caused around 26,000 people to flee their homes, with dozens of shelters now set up in schools and other public buildings.

Hezbollah has vowed to respond to Israeli strikes, particularly on the capital Beirut, with attacks on Israel's economic centres.

A Hezbollah parliamentary source told The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the group has not unveiled its full arsenal, which includes "weapons that will be used for the first time" against Israel.

Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel following Israel's launch of its latest war on Gaza in October last year, saying it would stop once Israel's assault ends. The rocket fire caused tens of thousands of Israelis to flee settlements in northern Israel.

While continuing its war on Gaza, where more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, Israel has turned significant attention to Lebanon in recent days.

The escalation has raised concerns of a broader regional conflict, as months-long efforts to mediate a ceasefire in Gaza have failed to yield results.