JERUSALEM/BEIRUT – The Israeli military said it began a “large-scale attack wave of strikes” on Beirut’s southern suburb on Wednesday night as Hezbollah members in are firing dozens of rockets towards northern Israel.
Interception efforts of the rocket barrages from Lebanon are still ongoing, the military said in a statement. The fire comes after the Israeli air force attacked the crowded suburb of Beirut with heavy strikes.
The rare barrages, which, according to Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news, included about 100 rockets, hit several locations in the north. At least two people, a woman and a man, were lightly injured, the Magen David Adom rescue service said.
“Home Front Command search and rescue forces, together with emergency teams, are currently operating at the impact sites in northern Israel,” the military said, adding that the circumstances of the impacts are under review.
Drones from Lebanon and missile attacks from Iran were also reported, which targeted northern Israel as well as the central and southern areas.
Citing an Israeli security official, Kan TV reported that the military estimates Iran and Hezbollah coordinated the recent launches in an attempt to bypass Israel’s air defense systems.
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The death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon has risen to 634, including 91 children and 47 women, while 1,586 people have been wounded, Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine said Wednesday in a televised press briefing.
According to Nasreddine, the ongoing hostilities have also severely affected the health sector. He reported 22 attacks on medical facilities and services, including incidents targeting Red Cross ambulances.
The minister added that 15 health workers have been killed and 45 others wounded since the escalation began.
Meanwhile, the number of people displaced by the fighting has reached 816,000, according to figures announced by Minister of Social Affairs Haneen Sayed during the same press briefing.
Sayed said that 816,000 displaced people have registered on the ministry’s relief platform. Of those, about 126,000 people are currently sheltering in 589 designated centers across the country.
Sayed added that the government is working on the ground to guide displaced families to available centers and arrange transportation to ensure they reach safe locations.
On March 2, Hezbollah announced the launch of rockets from Lebanon toward Israel for the first time since a ceasefire was declared on Nov 27, 2024.