Hezbollah missile reached Tel Aviv for 'first time ever' — Israel

Hezbollah said that it had fired a ballistic missile targeting Israeli spy agency Mossad's headquarters near Tel Aviv, saying that recent attacks on the Lebanese armed group had been planned there.

"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," Hezbollah said in a statement.

"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 a top commander.

It also said the strike was carried out in support of the people of Gaza and "in defence of Lebanon and its people".

'First time'

The Israeli military said that for the "first time ever" a missile fired by Hezbollah reached the Tel Aviv area and was intercepted by Israel's defence system.

"It is the first time ever a Hezbollah missile reached Tel Aviv area. It was intercepted by IDF [Israeli military]," an army spokesman told AFP.

Longtime foes Hezbollah and Israel have been locked in near-daily exchanges of cross-border fire since Palestinian resistance group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7.

The Hamas attack sparked a war in Gaza that has drawn in Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed armed groups from across the Middle East.

The focus of Israel's firepower has shifted sharply from Gaza to Lebanon in recent days.

The Lebanese health ministry said Israeli strikes killed at least 558 people on Monday — the deadliest day of violence in the country since its 1975-90 civil war.