West Asia conflict: Hezbollah hits northern Israel with 140 rockets

Palestinian children walk to a temporary shelter in an educational centre under the supervision of UNICEF, in Khan Yunis. Pic/AFP

Hezbollah attacked the northern part of Israel with 140 rockets on Friday, the attack came after the militant group's leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to retaliate against Israel for their mass bombing attack, the Israeli military and the militant group said to AP.

According to Israel's military, the missiles struck locations along the severely damaged border with Lebanon in three waves on Friday afternoon, AP reported.

Hezbollah claimed to have used Katyusha rockets to attack a number of locations along the border, including various air defense bases and the Israeli armored brigade's headquarters, which they claimed to have hit for the first time.

They said to AP that the rockets were fired in reply to the Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon's villages and homes.

Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have accused Israel of carrying out the horrific pager attack on Tuesday, which killed at least nine people and injured nearly 3,000 others. The attack included the simultaneous explosion of pagers used by Hezbollah members.

Israel's defense minister had declared the start of a "new phase" of the war as Israel turned its focus towards the northern front against Hezbollah militants based in Lebanon.

"We are at the start of a new phase in the war - it requires courage, determination and perseverance," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told troops on September 18.

The apparent Israeli attack targeting pagers used by Hezbollah had killed at least 12 and wounded nearly 3,000 on September 17. The next day, exploding walkie-talkies and other electronics across Lebanon that killed at least 20 people and injured 450 others.

The head of Hezbollah's Executive Council promised the group would respond to Tuesday's (September 17) pager explosion attack with "special punishment".

According to the AP report, the incident comes as tensions between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah continue to grow, with both sides exchanging fire since last October's Gaza war.

On Thursday, the Israel Air Force fighter attacked about 30 rocket launchers and military infrastructures of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in Lebanon, which contained about 150 launch canisters (each rocket launcher has multiple such canisters) intended for immediate launch towards the territory of Israel.

(With Agency Inputs)