Israel intercepts rocket as Hezbollah targets Tel Aviv
· RTE.ieLebanon's Hezbollah said it launched a rocket targeting Mossad headquarters near Tel Aviv, which it said was responsible for assassinating its leaders and blowing up pagers and walkie-talkies used by the group.
Warning sirens sounded in Israel's economic capital Tel Aviv as a single surface-to-surface missile was intercepted by air defence systems after it was detected crossing from Lebanon, the Israeli military said.
There were no reports of damage or casualties and the military said there was no change to civil defence instructions for central Israel.
Warning sirens also sounded in other areas of central Israel, including the city of Netanya.
The Israeli military said it was the "first time ever" that a missile fired by Hezbollah reached the Tel Aviv area and was intercepted by Israel's defence system.
In a statement, Hezbollah said it launched a 'Qader 1' ballistic missile targeting the Mossad headquarters on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
"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 of people 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".
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon fired hundreds of missiles and rockets at Israel in recent days as months of conflict across the border with southern Lebanon has intensified sharply.
Three killed in Israeli strike north of Beirut
Lebanon said three people were killed after Israel struck a village north of Beirut.
The village was reportedly hit for the first time in nearly a year of clashes between Hezbollah and Israel.
The "Israeli enemy strike on the village of Maaysra in the Keserwan district killed three people and injured nine," Lebanon's health ministry said.
A Lebanese security source had earlier told AFP the strike hit a house.
The Israeli military has been conducting its heaviest air strikes of the war this week, targeting Hezbollah leaders and hitting hundreds of targets deep inside Lebanon that have killed more than 500 people and wounded more than 1,800.
Yesterday, a strike in Beirut killed senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Qubaisi, who headed the group's missile and rocket force.
A new offensive against Hezbollah has stoked fears that conflict between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza is widening and could destabilise the Middle East.
The UN Security Council said it would meet today to discuss the conflict.
"Lebanon is at the brink. The people of Lebanon - the people of Israel - and the people of the world, cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said.
Half a million people are estimated to have been displaced in Lebanon, said Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib.
He said Lebanon's prime minister hoped to meet with US officials over the next two days.
In Beirut, thousands of displaced people who fled from southern Lebanon were sheltering in schools and other buildings.
Israel's military said its airforce conducted "extensive strikes" yesterday on Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon, including weapons storage facilities and dozens of launchers that were aimed at Israeli territory.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the attacks had weakened Hezbollah and would continue.
Hezbollah "has suffered a sequence of blows to its command and control, its fighters, and the means to fight. These are all severe blows," he told Israeli troops.
Former Lebanese general says Hezbollah not finished
A former brigadier general in the Lebanese army rubbished Israeli claims that it is successfully targeting and hitting Hezbollah military capabilities in Lebanon.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Hisham Jaber, who is now a security analyst at the Middle East Centre for Studies and Research, said Israel is failing to neutralise Hezbollah.
He said the Israeli military has been shelling most of Lebanon by aircraft, adding that Hezbollah has not yet used its military potential.
He said Hezbollah does not want to be responsible for "opening up" a regional war.
Mr Jaber also said it is not true that Israel has targeted Hezbollah in its attacks, noting that Hezbollah has been able to continue to launch hundreds of missiles toward Israel.
He added that Hezbollah will not surrender and that a land offensive by Israel is unlikely because it is not palatable for the United States.
Additional reporting Cian McCormack