Hezbollah fires ballistic missile at Mossad headquarters near Tel Aviv, Israel intercepts

Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for launching a ballistic missile targeting Mossad’s headquarters near Tel Aviv, in a marked escalation of hostilities between the Lebanon-based group and Israel.

According to Israeli military sources, the surface-to-surface missile, fired early Wednesday morning, was intercepted by Israel’s air defense systems before it could reach its intended target.

Warning sirens sounded across Tel Aviv as the missile crossed into Israeli airspace from Lebanon. In a statement, Hezbollah said that the missile, a Qader-1, was launched in response to Israel’s attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, and specifically targeted the Mossad headquarters.

The group also accused the intelligence agency of planning recent attacks using pagers and wireless devices and of orchestrating the assassination of senior Hezbollah leaders.

"The Islamic Resistance launched a ‘Qader 1’ ballistic missile at 6:30am (03:30 GMT) on Wednesday, targeting the Mossad headquarters in the outskirts of Tel Aviv," Hezbollah's statement read. "This headquarters is responsible for the assassination of leaders and the explosion of pagers and wireless devices."

Israeli military spokesperson Nadav Shoshani, however, refuted the claim, stating that the missile was aimed at civilian areas and that Mossad’s headquarters is not located in the targeted region. No casualties or significant damage were reported from the attempted strike.

Smoke billows over southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Tyre, Lebanon September 25, 2024. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

The missile launch came as Israel continued its intense bombing campaign in Lebanon.

The Israeli military reported conducting over 1,600 airstrikes on Lebanese targets since Monday, in one of the deadliest episodes of violence between the two sides since the 2006 Lebanon war.

The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reported that at least 558 people have been killed, with thousands forced to flee their homes.

In addition to the missile fired at Tel Aviv, Hezbollah also launched attacks on the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and areas near Mount Carmel in northern Israel.

The Israeli military stated that its defense systems successfully intercepted all incoming rockets and drones from Lebanon.

Moreover, Israel said its warplanes were currently carrying out extensive strikes in south Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, a Hezbollah stronghold.

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system operates for interceptions as rockets are launched from Lebanon towards Israel, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from Haifa, Israel, September 24, 2024. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Israel has expanded the zones it has been striking since Tuesday night, with attacks for the first time on the beach resort town of Jiyyeh just south of Beirut and Maaysrah.

The strikes also took place in Bint Jbeil, Tebnin and Ain Qana in the south, the village of Joun in the Chouf district near the southern city of Sidon, and Maaysrah in northern Keserwan district.

The escalating violence has raised fears of a broader conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, as the focus shifts from Gaza to Lebanon. Israeli officials have expressed concerns that Hezbollah could continue to target Israeli cities, potentially overwhelming the country’s missile defense systems.