The images of destruction that have multiplied in Beirut in recent days have spread this Sunday to the region of the main Israeli city, Tel Aviv, in the center of the country, which has been hit by repeated long-range missile salvos, leaving at least 10 Israelis injured and several more in the Palestinian city of Tulkarem.
Videos recorded by Israeli residents showed burning cars, a five-story building with walls demolished in Haifa, and streets covered in debris. Four of the injured were hit by shrapnel in Petah Tikva, located 10 kilometers from Tel Aviv. The rockets also hit northern towns such as Haifa, Acre, or Nahariya. "Israel under fire," titled the newspaper Maariv, choosing a phrase that reflected the shock caused by the paramilitary group's attack, which exceeded 300 rockets, as reported by the country's radio.
The Israeli army had declared in October that its operations had "eliminated" between "60 and 70%" of the missiles from the group formerly led by Hasan Nasrallah.
One of the projectiles ended up hitting the Palestinian town of Tulkarem in occupied West Bank, also injuring local residents.
The leader of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, threatened on Wednesday to attack Tel Aviv following the recent actions against Beirut, but it was unknown if they had such capabilities.
"Israel has attacked the center of Beirut and, therefore, the response will be the center of Tel Aviv. We cannot allow the [Lebanese] capital to be bombed by the enemy. They have to pay a price," he stated.
The Party of God has started to chant a new slogan in recent hours - "Tel Aviv for Beirut" - while sympathetic media warn that the Lebanese group is preparing to intensify its confrontation with Israeli forces.
Experts cited by Israeli television indicated that this would also be the reaction of their army, suggesting that the war is heading towards a new escalation of violence just when negotiations for a ceasefire seemed to be making progress.
Politicians like former Defense Minister Benny Gantz have suggested that Tel Aviv should respond to these events with even more violent bombings, extending them to the entire country and not just to Hezbollah-related infrastructure.
"The Lebanese government has given Hezbollah a free hand. It is time to act forcefully against their assets," Gantz urged through social media.
An Israeli military source cited by Al Arabiya channel stated that, after what happened, "Beirut is going to be in a state of shock" due to their air force's reaction. Hours after the incident in Israel, airplanes bombed several targets in the Lebanese metropolis.
The impact of the Lebanese irregulars' attack represents a minimal fraction of the vast destruction caused by Israeli airstrikes, which on Friday alone left dozens dead when their bombs flattened a building in the heart of Beirut. The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that 84 people had died throughout the country that day due to Israeli military actions.
According to Hezbollah, their forces "fired missiles and a swarm of drones at a military target and an army intelligence base" in the suburbs of Tel Aviv.
The spiral of violence coincided with the visit to Beirut of the EU representative, Josep Borrell, who once again called for an "immediate" ceasefire on the Lebanese front and stated that the Arab country "is on the brink of collapse."
Hezbollah's assault poses a challenge for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had promised a "total victory" in both Lebanon and Gaza, something that, far from materializing, seems to have led to a war of attrition that increasingly causes more casualties and material damage in Israel, not only in Palestinian and Lebanese territories.
Amid the alarms that occurred throughout the day - nearly 4 million Israelis had to seek shelter in bunkers - one of the organizations representing residents of northern Israel launched a vehement verbal attack against the head of the government, stating that "the illusion of order has blown up in our faces."
The director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, Brett Holmgren, warned this week that, despite the losses suffered, the Lebanese group "is far from being out of action", and cautioned about the strategic missile capabilities they have yet to use.
Actions against Israeli interests or citizens are not limited to Israel, the Palestinian territories, or Lebanon but have also extended to countries like the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
Tel Aviv confirmed the assassination of a rabbi and former Israeli army member who had disappeared last Thursday, an action attributed to Iran. In Amman, the Jordanian capital, an armed man was shot near the Israeli embassy after opening fire on security forces deployed there.