Hezbollah fires missile at Mossad HQ for first time as Israeli airstrikes escalate
Lebanese Shiite Muslim Hezbollah militants ride on a vehicle carrying a Fajr 5 missile during the annual parade in the southern town of Nabatiyeh on Nov. 28, 2012. (AFP Photo)
Lebanese group Hezbollah announced on Wednesday that it had fired a missile at Tel Aviv for the first time, targeting the headquarters of Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, amid escalating tensions between the two sides.
In a statement, Hezbollah said it launched a “Qader-1” ballistic missile at the Mossad facility, accusing the agency of being behind recent assassinations of its commanders and the detonation of communication devices used by its members, resulting in dozens of casualties.
Israeli media, including The Times of Israel, reported that the missile was intercepted by the army’s David’s Sling defense system as it neared its target in the suburbs of Tel Aviv.
Sirens were heard across Tel Aviv and other towns in central Israel following the attack.
In response, the Israeli army announced it had struck a Hezbollah missile launcher in southern Lebanon, claiming it was the source of the missile fired at Tel Aviv.
Since Monday, the Israeli army has conducted airstrikes across Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah positions amid the intensifying conflict.
The strikes have killed nearly 560 people, including 95 women and 50 children and injured 1,835 others, according to Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad.
