A picture taken from northern Israel, along the border with southern Lebanon on September 22, 2024, shows smoke billowing following Israeli bombardment on the Lebanese village of Markaba. The United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon warned on September 22, of an "imminent catastrophe" in the Middle East amid spiking violence between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah, saying a military solution was not the answer. AFP
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after a night of intense rocket fire from Lebanon that Israel has dealt "a series of blows on Hezbollah that it could have never imagined".
Hezbollah was equally defiant, with the group's deputy chief Naim Qassem saying it was in a "new phase" in its battle against Israel.
They spoke nearly a year after the outbreak of the Gaza war and after attacks on northern Israel sent hundreds of thousands of people to bomb shelters and caused damage in the area of Haifa city.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant meanwhile said military actions "will continue until we reach a point where we may ensure the safe return of Israel's northern communities to their homes".
"This is our goal, this is our mission, and we will employ the means necessary to achieve it."
Israel's key ally the United States said Sunday military escalation is not in Israel's "best interest".
White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said "we still believe that there can be time and space for a diplomatic solution".
UN chief Antonio Guterres warned of the risk of Lebanon becoming "another Gaza".
Speaking ahead of the annual UN General Assembly in New York, he nonetheless added it was "clear that both sides are not interested in a ceasefire" in the Gaza war.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy called for an "immediate ceasefire" after a "worrying escalation", and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell echoed the ceasefire call, saying Europe was "extremely concerned".
Hezbollah rocket fire reached Kiryat Bialik on the edge of north Israel's largest city Haifa, leaving a building in flames, another pockmarked with shrapnel and vehicles incinerated.
"This is not pleasant. This is war," said one resident, Sharon Hacmishvili.
Hamas in a statement on Sunday hailed Hezbollah for its "resilience and bravery" in its retaliation against Israel.
'On the brink'
Israel has signalled its intention to shift focus to Hezbollah after nearly a year of cross-border fire that began in October in what Hezbollah calls support for Palestinians fighting Israel in its brutal war in Gaza.
Friday's Israeli air strike in a densely populated Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut killed the head of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force, Ibrahim Aqil. The strike killed 45 civilians.
It came after a series of coordinated communication device blasts on Tuesday and Wednesday that killed 39 people and wounded almost 3,000, and which was orchestrated by Israel.
Speaking at Aqil's funeral in Beirut Sunday, Qassem said: "We have entered a new phase, namely an open reckoning" with Israel.
"Threats will not stop us... We are ready to face all military possibilities."
Hezbollah's Radwan Force has spearheaded its ground operations, and Israel has repeatedly called for its fighters to be pushed back from the border.
UN special coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert posted on X that the region was "on the brink of an imminent catastrophe".
"It cannot be overstated enough: there is NO military solution that will make either side safer," she wrote.
The Israeli army said more than 150 rockets, missiles and drones were fired at its territory during the night and early Sunday, most from Lebanon.
Warnings to leave
Lebanon's health ministry said three people were killed in Israeli strikes on southern areas, and Hezbollah announced two fighters were killed.
Israel's civil defence agency ordered all schools in the north closed after the rocket fire.
Hezbollah said it had targeted Israeli army production facilities and an air base in the Haifa area after this week;s communication device blasts.
"In an initial response" to the explosions of the pagers and two-way radios, Hezbollah said it "bombed the Rafael military industry complexes" in northern Israel with "dozens" of rockets.
It said it targeted Ramat David airbase with Fadi-1 and Fadi-2 rockets. The site is among the deepest inside Israel so far targeted, and this appeared to be Hezbollah's first use of that rocket type during the Gaza war.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has acknowledged that the communication devices attack was "unprecedented". He vowed that Israel would face retribution.
Stalled truce talks
Months of near-daily exchanges have killed hundreds in Lebanon, including civilians, and dozens in Israel and the annexed Golan, forcing tens of thousands on both sides from their homes.
International mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States have for months tried to secure a ceasefire and captive release deal in Gaza, which diplomats repeatedly said would help calm regional tensions.
Netanyahu's critics in Israel have accused him of dragging out the war, with thousands again gathering in Tel Aviv Saturday demanding a deal to free captives in Gaza.
Since Oct.7, Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip has killed at least 41,431 people in Gaza, most of them women and children with another 95,818 people injured, according to figures provided by the Palestinian health ministry and the UN has acknowledged the figures as reliable.
* This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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