cover Hezbollah fires big rocket salvo at Israel after senior commander killed
Israeli fire-fighter and another man work to take control over fire following rocket attacks from Lebanon, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Lebanon’s Hezbollah fired scores of rockets at Israel on Wednesday, Israel said, in apparent response to an Israeli strike which killed a senior Hezbollah field commander, further ratcheting up tensions in their eight-month-long conflict....CONTINUE READING
The Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel have been trading fire since the eruption of the Gaza war in October, in a steadily intensifying conflict that has fuelled concern of a bigger confrontation between the heavily armed adversaries. The Israeli strike in south Lebanon village of Jouya late on Tuesday killed three Hezbollah fighters alongside the senior field commander identified by Hezbollah as Taleb Abdallah, also known as Abu Taleb, three security sources said. He was the most senior Hezbollah commander killed during the hostilities, one of the sources said. The sources said he was Hezbollah’s commander for the central region of the southern border strip. His funeral is due to be held later on Wednesday.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. In an apparent response, Hezbollah fired a barrage of around 50 launches from southern Lebanon into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israel said. Sirens sounded in northern Israel. In a second announcement, Israel said approximately 90 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon, a number of which were intercepted while others fell in several locations in northern Israel, causing fires in a number of areas. It was not clear if the Israeli statements were referring to separate launches. A security source in Lebanon said Hezbollah had fired more than 100 rockets. Abdallah, the Hezbollah commander killed on Tuesday, was senior to Wissam Tawil, a high-level Hezbollah commander killed in an Israeli strike in January, said the sources in Lebanon, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The security sources said the four Hezbollah members were likely targeted during a meeting. Israeli strikes have killed some 300 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon – more than it lost in 2006, when the sides last fought a major war, according to a Reuters tally which puts the number of civilians killed at around 80. Attacks from Lebanon have killed 18 Israeli soldiers and 10 civilians, Israel says. The Israeli military says it has killed more than 320 Hezbollah members, including at least 100 targeted after field operatives gathered “precise high-quality intelligence” on them.
