Hezbollah fires rockets at Israel in ″initial response″ to killing of top leader from allied Hamas

Hezbollah in Lebanon launched more than 60 rockets towards an Israeli military installation on Saturday, claiming responsibility for the attack in reprisal to the assassination of Hamas' deputy commander in Beirut. "As part of the initial response to the crime of assassinating the great leader Sheikh Saleh al-Aruri... the Islamic resistance (Hezbollah) targeted the Meron air control base with 62 various types of missiles," the statement issued by the Iran-backed group was quoted by AFP in its report.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, the Israel-Lebanon border has seen continuous exchanges of fire, mostly between Israeli forces and Hamas ally Hezbollah.

The assassination of Aruri on Tuesday in a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut, which a US defence official said AFP was carried out by Israel, has fueled worries of further escalation.